/^-7 


^  / 


■■i-i> 


I  ALUMNI  LIBRARY,  | 

THEOLOGICAL  SEMINARY,    | 

^  PRINCETON,  N.  J. , 

|j  C«s^,    Division i 

|;  >S7fe?/;  Section | 

f     ^^^^^.No _.. :..J 

sec 

/Ad  5 


w 


*9 


M: 


r,;:t.aiy  Earl' 


Snyreiycd.  i/  O.l'dton.. 


<//C 


c^"^  <7/i^e.^yr-U<:f^^^f^ 


PubUshcd  by  [■'ertins  i^ Marvin.  Boston. 


-    ^3 


t^/^/^l^l^^ 


'V  o 


.:> 


SELF   TAUGHT   MEN 


WITH    AN 


INTRODUCTORY    ESSAY 


BY  B.  B.  EDWARDS., 


Per  angusta  ad  augusta. 


BOSTON: 

PERKINS  &  MARVIN,  114,  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1832. 


Entered  according  to  act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1832, 

By  Perkins  &  Marvin, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  Massachusetts. 


CONTENTS 


Page, 

Advertisement, iv 

Introductory  Essay, v 

Biographical  Sketches, 

Roger  Sherman, 1 

Professor  Heyne,    .        .        • 13 

Stephen  Duck, .  19 

John  Jones, 23 

William  Whipple, 27 

Eli  Whitney, 30 

Alexander  Murray, 33 

Stephen  Hopkins, 4^ 

Professor  Lee, 48 

William  Gifford, 54 

John  M'Lean, 64 

Thomas  Baldwin,    .        .        . 69 

David  Rittenhouse, 78 

Samuel  Huntington, 91 

William  Edwards, 95 

Robert  Bloomfield, 101 

Thomas  Scott, 108 

LoTT  Gary, 126 

John  Opie, 136 

Nathaniel  Smith, 146 

John  Godfrey  Von  Herder, 149 

Giovanni  Battista  Belzoni, 153 

Jonas  King, 159 

Isaac  Milner, 171 

William  Caxton, 177 

Richard  Baxter, 185 

Arthur  Young, 196 

Humphrey  Davy, 202 

Adam  Clarke, 215 

Charles  G.  Haines, 219 

Henry  Clay, 224 

Carsten  NiebuhR; 232 

James  Ferguson, 251 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


The  materials  of  this  volume  were  derived  from  a  great 
variety  of  sources.  The  writer  is  indebted  for  some  facts 
to  correspondence.  In  other  cases,  he  has  obtained  infor- 
mation by  personal  inquiry.  He  acknowledges  himself  to 
be  under  particular  obligation  to  the  publications  of  the 
British  Society  for  the  Diffusion  of  Useful  Knowledge. 
Some  of  the  series  of  their  publications  have  not  been  re- 
published in  this  country.  In  many  cases  he  has  altered 
and  abridged  the  memoirs  of  different  individuals  to  suit 
his  purpose.  In  general,  where  any  important  sentiment 
is  given  in  the  words  of  the  author,  the  usual  marks  of 
quotation  are  inserted.  In  the  mere  narration  of  facts, 
this  was  not  thought  to  be  necessary,  except  in  instances 
of  auto-biography.  Whatever  phraseology  was  found  to 
-be  objectionable  on  the  score  of  morality,  or  of  good  taste, 
has  been  carefully  expunged.  Every  article,  written  or 
abridged,  has  been  given  to  the  printer  in  manuscript. 

The  great  object  of  the  writer  has  been  to  furnish  en- 
couragement to  a  very  large  and  a  very  deserving  class  of 
young  men  in  this  country,  who  are  endeavoring  to  rise 
to  respectability  and  usefulness,  by  their  own  efforts  and 
resources.  At  the  same  time,  he  trusts  he  has  said 
nothing  in  disparagement  of  our  public  institutions,  and 
of  a  regular  course  of  education. 

Should  this  volume  be  favorably  received,  it  will  be  suc- 
ceeded by  another  on  a  similar  plan. 

Boston y  February^  1833. 


INTRODUCTORY  ESSAY 


The  future  history  of  the  United  States  is  a  subject 
of  deep  interest.  We  are  come  to  a  very  important 
period  in  our  course.  The  strength  of  our  pohtical 
system  is  beginning  to  be  tried.  The  tendencies  of 
our  institutions  are  becoming  apparent.  The  elements, 
which  form  a  general  national  character,  are  combining 
and  coalescing.  It  is  emphatically  a  day  of  trial. 
Every  thing  is  subjected  to  a  rigid  scrutiny.  Merely 
prescriptive  rights  are  abandoned.  Reliance  upon 
authority  is  given  up.  Such  being  the  condition  of 
the  country,  it  is  not  an  inappropriate  question.  What 
is  to  be  done  ?  There  are  local  divisions,  civil  strifes, 
rival  religious  denominations,  great  questions  pending 
in  political  economy,  interesting  relations  with  other 
portions  of  the  world,  and  boundless  resources  for 
good  or  evil.  What  then  are  the  duties  which  devolve 
on  the  American  citizen  ? 

It  is  very  obvious,  in  the  first  place,  that  in  the 
passion  for  novelty  and  change,  we  are  to  see  that  we 
do  not  give  up  anything  which  is  truly  valuable.     We 


VI 


ought  to  remain  firm  on  those  great  principles  of 
politics  and  education,  morals  and  religion,  which  have 
been  tried,  and  have  aiot  been  found  wanting.  There 
is  little  danger  in  this  country  of  a  too  pertinacious 
attachment  to  old  systems.  The  hazard  is  all  on  the 
other  side.  The  love  of  innovation  is  vastly  an 
overmatch  for  a  blind  regard  to  authority  and  antiquity. 
In  detaching  ourselves  from  what  is  absurd  and  erro- 
neous in  former  opinions,  we  shall,  without  great 
circumspection,  abandon  the  true  wath  the  false,  and 
shall  soon  find  ourselves  on  an  unknown  sea,  without 
any  experience  from  the  past,  or  guide  for  the  future. 
As  an  instance  in  point,  I  might  allude  to  the  excessive 
simphfication  in  books  of  education,  reHeving  the 
student  from  the  necessity  of  patient  attention,  and  of 
thorough  and  discriminating  habits  of  thought. 

Another  duty  of  great  importance  is,  to  induce  a 
more  fervent  and  general  co-operation  of  the  advocates 
of  sound  principles,  in  the  diffusion  of  their  opinions. 
There  is  little  concentrated  sympathy  and  fellow  feeling 
among  the  friends  of  man.  They  have  not  learned 
the  power  of  associated  effort.  They  do  not  act  in 
masses.  This  trait  in  our  character  is  principally 
owing  to  two  reasons.  We  have  no  capital  city.  We 
have  no  acknowledged  metropolis  of  letters  or  influence. 
There  is  no  London,  to  wdiich  all  the  provincial  towns 
wiUingly  bow  in  homage.  The  tendency  of  our 
republican  institutions  Is  such,  also,  as  to  prevent 
an  embodied  and  powerful  action  of  the  friends  of 
virtue.  Our  freedom  of  thought  and  Independence  of 
character  we  sometimes  carry  to  an  extreme.  We 
are  better  as  private  citizens  than  as  members  of  a 


vu 


commonwealth.  It  is  not  true  that  the  state  of  public 
morals  and  virtue  is  as  elevated  as  that  of  the  indi- 
viduals who  compose  a  community.  We  do  that  in  a 
collective  capacity,  which  we  should  not  dare  to  do  as 
friends  or  neighbors.  Conscience,  and  the  faith  of 
solemn  compact,  are  often  voted  away,  when  personal 
honor,  or  a  mere  verbal  engagement  are  sacredly 
remembered  and  redeemed.  When  a  great  principle 
is  at  stake,  we  must  learn  to  dismiss  all  minor  differ- 
ences, to  forget  all  local  attachments,  to  abjure  utterly 
every  selfish  consideration.  What  is  a  party,  what 
is  a  religious  denomination,  when  a  fundamental  law  of 
right  or  justice  is  at  issue  ? 

Intimately  connected  with  the  preceding  remark,  is 
the  undoubted  truth,  that  questions  of  political  economy 
are  to  be  viewed  far  more  than  they  have  been  in  this 
country,  in  connection  with  the  operations  of  the 
providence  of  God.  What  volumes  of  ingenious 
speculation  have  been  wasted  in  this  captivating 
science,  simply  because  the  authors  did  not,  or  would 
not,  look  at  the  arrangements  of  the  Power  that  ruleth 
over  all.  It  is  not  pretended  but  that  there  are  great 
and  intrinsic  difficulties  in  shaping  a  system  of  com- 
mercial intercourse,  among  the  different  parts  of  this 
country,  and  between  the  United  States  and  foreign 
nations.  Still  it  may  be  safely  asserted,  that  one  half 
of  the  vexation  and  trouble  which  have  been  experi- 
enced, would  have  been  avoided,  if  our  legislators 
were  all  Christian  economists.  The  Author  of  nature, 
and  of  nations,  did  not  leave  the  great  subjects  of 
internal  or  inter-national  commerce,  in  such  profound 
doubt  and  mystery   as  is  now  thrown  around  them. 


This  leads  me  to  remark  that  we  are  called  to  the 
work  of  educating  an  innumerable  multitude  of  minds. 
Popular  instruction,  in  its  most  comprehensive  import, 
is  to  be  the  theme  of  absorbing  interest.  Connected 
with  this  subject,  are  questions  of  very  wide  applica- 
tion, which  have  been  hardly  considered  yet.  We  are 
to  provide  means  for  extending  the  benefits  of  educa- 
tion to  the  extremities  of  society,  to  a  scattered  and 
ever  emigrating  population.  We  are  to  devise  the 
best  methods  for  combining  legislative  supervision  and 
patronage,  with  private  munificence.  The  philosophy 
of  education  is  to  be  studied  and  taught  as  a  practical 
science.  Books,  in  all  the  departments  of  education, 
are  to  be  written  by  those  who  are  intimately  ac- 
quainted with  the  laws  of  the  human  mind.  In  short, 
a  vast  population  are  not  only  to  have  instruction  com- 
municated to  them,  but  are  to  be  inured  to  habits  of 
self-education,  and  to  be  intrusted  w^ith  the  power  of 
elevating  themselves  indefinitely  in  the  scale  of  im- 
provement. 

Once  more,  a  national  Christian  literature  is  to  be 
created  in  this  country.  There  is  a  period,  or  there 
are  periods,  in  the  history  of  every  nation,  when  the 
great  currents  of  thought  receive  their  direction,  when 
the  organs  of  intellectual  life  begin  to  move.  Of  what 
immense  benefit  had  it  been  to  England  in  all  subse- 
quent ages,  if  her  Elizabethan  era  had  been  a  Christian 
era  ;  if  the  great  men  who  then  toiled  in  the  fields  of 
knowledge,  had  all  been  Boyles  and  Miltons.  How 
different  would  have  been  the  destiny  of  France,  if 
her  literary  men  of  the  age  of  Louis  XIV.,  had  all 
been    Pascals  and  Fenelons ;   if  that  gorgeous   con- 


XI 

stellatlon  of  intellect,  had  been  tempered  with  the  mild 
beams  of  Christianity.  How  bright  would  have  been 
the  pages  of  her  now  blood-stained  history.  The 
great  lesson  which  these  facts  teach  us,  is  to  seize  the 
favorable  moment — to  pre-occupy  the  ground.  Our 
state  of  probation,  in  this  respect,  is  not  past.  With 
a  few  exceptions,  we  have  now  no  literature.  We 
have  nothing  which  can  be  called  -a  National  Litera- 
ture. It  is  yet  to  be  created.  Those  great  control- 
ling influences,  which  lift  themselves  into  the  upper 
firmament  of  thought,  which  are  like  the"  polar  light, 
always  visible,  and  always  to  be  regarded,  are  yet  to 
be'  collected  together.  Though  there  are  scattered 
rays  of  light  every  where  ;  yet  they  have  not  been 
concentrated  into  reigning  and  radiant  orbs.  The 
fourth  day  is  not  come.  A  great  object,  therefore,  an 
ultimate  object,  to  be  kept  in  view  in  this  country, 
now  and  forever,  is  the  highest  possible  cultivation  of 
science  and  literature  in  connection  ivith  religion.  It 
is  an  object  vast  enough  for  the  concentration  of  every 
energy,  physical,  and  mental,  and  moral,  which  God 
has  given  to  us.  Here  may  be  exhibited  a  vigor  of 
intellect,  a  purity  of  taste,  a  strength  and  fervor  of 
religious  feeling,  all  in  delightful  combination,  such  as 
the  old  world  has  never  yet  seen.  Now  is  the  time. 
We  have  separation  enough  from  the  other  continents. 
We  have  ample  sphere.  We  have  no  need  to  engrave 
our  discoveries  on  columns  of  stone,  to  be  wearily 
deciphered  by  some  subsequent  age.  We  may  spread 
them  out  before  a  great  people.  We  may  write  them 
on  ten  thousand  living  and  breathing  hearts. 

Another  very  important  object  is,   to  turn   to   the 


xu 


best  account  the  triumphs  of  the  Christian  religion, 
which  so  mark  the  years  that  are  now  passing  over 
us  in  this  country.  These  exhibitions  of  the  grace 
and  power  of  the  Redeeming  Saviour,  may  be  attended 
with  vast  collateral  benefits,  if  they  are  regarded  with 
that  importance  which  they  deserve.  When  the 
powers  of  the  world  to  come  are  visible,  when  there 
is  an  awakened  and  tender  conscience  and  clearness 
of  perception,  when  men  feel  deeply  that  they  are 
spiritual  and  immortal  beings,  then  is  a  most  favorable 
time  to  make  sure  of  other  great  interests.  The  moral 
sense  may  be  brought  to  bear  on  the  whole  circle  of 
duties.  Liberality  of  feeling  and  comprehensiveness 
of  mind  may  be  successfully  inculcated.  The  indi- 
viduals in  question,  may  learn  to  look  on  themselves 
as  the  subjects  of  a  new  and  glorious  economy,  where 
they  can  breathe  a  fresher  air,  and  obtain  occasional 
glimpses  of  the  higher  abodes,  where  dwell  their  elder 
and  more  favored  brethren.  The  simple  personal 
safety  of  an  individual,  is  not  the  only  or  the  great 
object  in  view,  in  these  days  of  the  Redeemer's  vic- 
tories. Why  should  not  the  sphere  of  human  sym- 
pathy be  enlarged  ?  Why  should  not  fresh  charms  be 
thrown  over  the  whole  aspect  of  human  society  ? 
Why  should  not  the  genial  influence  pervade  all  the 
intercourse  of  men  ?  Why  should  not  revivals  of 
Christianity  exert  a  strong  influence  on  the  purity  of 
civil  elections,  on  the  sacredness  of  judicial  proceed- 
ings, on  the  contracts  of  commerce,  and  on  the  dura- 
bility of  a  republican  government  ?  The  genuineness  of 
that  religion  may  well  be  questioned,  which  does  not 
moderate  the  heat  of  party  zeal,  which  does  not  diffuse 


XIU 


itself  into  all  the  departments  of  civil  life,  in  short, 
which  does  not  make  men  real  philanthropists,  pure 
and  incorruptible  patriots. 

But  in  order  to  fulfil  these  great  trusts,  and  to  ac- 
compHsh  these  high  purposes,  we  must  bring  some 
new  powers  into  the  field.  An  hitherto  unknown 
agency  must  be  employed.  All  the  ordinary  and 
accustomed  means  of  changing  public  opinion,  are  not 
sufficient.  We  have  not  men  enough  of  the  proper 
description  in  this  country.  A  new  order  of  culti- 
vated intellect  is  greatly  needed.  A  limited  number 
of  eminent  scholars,  such  as  Alexandria,  and  Athens, 
and  London  in  the  days  of  Anne,  contained,  is  not 
demanded.  A  multitude  of  learned  men  in  the 
abstract  sciences,  such  as  Paris  and  some  of  the  Ger- 
man cities  embrace,  would  not  accomplish  the  work. 
Neither  would  the  parish  schools  and  universities  of 
Scotland  supply  the  deficiency.  They  nurture  meta- 
physical acumen,  and  strength  of  reasoning,  indeed, 
but  frequently  at  the  expense  of  benevolent  feeling  and 
religious  principle.  Neither  are  the  excellent  common 
school  systems  of  the  northern  States  of  this  country, 
however  great  the  blessings  which  they  diffiise,  equal 
to  the  enterprize  to  be  accomplished. 

A  class  of  men,  which  will  be  fully  adequate  to 
the  exigency,  may  be  found  in  great  numbers  in 
this  country.  They  compose  the  young  men  who  have 
vigor  of  body,  great  strength  and  firmness  of  char- 
acter, an  ardent  desire  to  acquire  knowledge,  a  dispo- 
sition to  employ  their  powers  in  the  diffusion  of  know- 
ledge, with  little  or  no  pecuniary  resources.  They 
constitute  a  portion  of  the  members  of  our  colleges. 


XIV 


Probably  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  thousand  of  this 
class  of  young  men,  are  pursuing,  with  various  interest, 
the  study  of  the  sciences  and  of  literature  at  the  lyce- 
ums,  which  are  happily  extending  into  all  parts  of  the 
country.  Several  thousand  more  are  engaged  in  a 
course  of  study,  which  is  habitually  connected  with 
manual  labor.  A  still  smaller  class,  but  amounting  to 
nearly  two  thousand,  are  under  the  patronage  of  various 
societies  for  the  promotion  of  ministerial  education. 
So  that  in  all  the  classes  enumerated,  there  is,  doubt- 
less, at  least  one  hundred  thousand  young  men,  in  the 
United  States,  who  are  in  a  course  of  self-education. 

In  this  description  of  young  men,  there  are  materials 
of  great  value,  which  may  be  fashioned  and  moulded  for 
important  public  service.  No  other  nation  on  earth  is 
possessed  of  such  a  treasure.  This  country  is  compara- 
tively new.  There  is  not,  as  in  Europe,  a  multitude 
of  large  estates  which  can  furnish  abundant  means  of 
education  to  the  sons  of  a  family.  The  population  in 
many  parts  of  the  land,  is  migratory  also.  Of  course, 
the  ancient  seats  of  learning  are  left  behind.  Oppor- 
tunities for  a  finished  education  cannot  be  obtained  for 
many  years  after  the  first  settlement  of  a  country. 
Besides,  the  population  increases  with  such  rapidity, 
that  all  the  ordinary  means  for  providing  facilities  for 
thorough  mental  discipline,  are  entirely  inadequate. 
Such  being  the  condition  of  things  in  this  country,  it 
follows  almost  of  consequence,  that  there  w^ill  be  a 
class  of  men  such  as  I  have  described — of  firm  nerve — 
of  aspiring  hope — of  powerful  understanding,  but  not 
in  possession  of  the  means  of  pursuing  an  uninter- 
rupted course  of  mental  improvement.     If  they  have 


XV 

the  benefit  of  teachers,  it  is  only  at  intervals.  If 
taught  at  all,  they  must  in  a  great  measure  teach 
themselves.  They  are  compelled  to  rely  on  their  own 
resources.  That  this  class  of  young  men  is  large,  and 
capable  of  conferring  great  benefits  on  the  country,  no 
one  can  doubt. 

They  possess  some  peculiar  advantages  over  all 
other  classes  of  men.  They  have  confidence  in  their 
own  powder.  Whatever  of  character  they  possess  has 
been  tried  in  the  school  of  severe  discipline.  They 
have  breasted  the  billows,  in  a  great  measure,  alone. 
Others  have  had  their  doubts  resolved  by  teachers. 
In  the  final  resort,  they  have  depended  on  foreign  and 
auxihary  aid.  Their  own  powers  have  been  tasked 
for  a  wdiile,  but  the  last  w^eight  has  been  lifted  up  by 
the  shoulders  of  others.  A  clearer  eye  has  penetrated 
the  dark  cloud  for  them.  It  is  sometimes  the  fact, 
that  an  individual  who  has  been  taught  by  others,  has 
more  confidence  in  the  opinion  of  every  one  else,  than 
in  his  own.  As  a  direct  consequence,  he  is  wavering, 
timid,  pliable.  His  character  is  not  compacted  and 
assimilated,  but  yielding  and  capricious.  His  useful- 
ness is  of  course  greatly  diminished.  But  the  men, 
of -whom  I  speak,  have  measured  their  powers.  They 
have  depended  very  little  on  extraneous  aid. 

Another  attribute  of  this  class  of  individuals  is  inde- 
pendence of  purpose.  They  are  accustomed  to  form 
opinions  according  to  the  decisions  of  their  own  judg- 
ments. They  are  like  that  description  of  lawyers,  who 
have  deeply  studied  the  elementary  principles  of  their 
profession,  w^ho  have  followed  out  these  principles  into 
all  their  ramifications,  and  who  come  to  conclusions. 


XVI 


which  are,  in  a  great  measure,  irrespective  of  par- 
ticular facts — facts  which  may  coincide,  or  may 
not,  with  an  original  principle.  Such  lawyers  are  in- 
dependent, in  a  great  degree,  of  precedents,  or  of  the 
opinion  of  courts.  By  severe  thought,  and  well-di- 
rected study,  they  have  formed  an  independent  habit 
of  judgment.  Such  is  the  fact  with  those  individuals 
who  ha\^e  been  self-instructers.  They  may  err  in 
opinion,  and  their  purposes  may  be  formed  on  insuf- 
ficient grounds ;  but  they  are  not  accustomed  to  bow 
to  human  authority,  nor  yield  their  free  agency  at  the 
call  of  party  or  sect. 

Many  of  this  class  have,  moreover,  an  invincible 
perseverance.  The  resoluteness  with  which  they  re- 
solve, has  a  counterpart  in  the  untiring  execution  of 
their  schemes.  Difficulties  only  excite  a  more  ardent 
desire  to  overcome  them.  Defeat  awakens  new 
courage.  Affliction  nourishes  hope.  Disappointment 
is  the  parent  and  precursor  of  success.  A  resolu- 
tion so  strong  is  sometimes  formed,  that  it  seems  to 
enter  into  the  nature  of  the  soul  itself.  It  swallows  up 
the  whole  man,  and  produces  a  firmness  of  determina- 
tion, an  iron  obstinacy  of  pursuit,  which  nothing  but 
death  can  break  down* 

I  have  seen  an  individual  commence  a  course  of 
preparatory  studies  for  a  liberal  education.  Weakness 
of  sight  compelled  him  to  suspend  his  labors.  After 
a  season  of  relaxation  he  resumed  his  books,  but  the 
recurrence  of  the  same  disorder  induced  him  to  aban- 
don the  pursuit.  He  then  assumed  the  duties  of  a 
merchant's  clerk ;  but  the  same  inexorable  necessity 
followed  him.     He  entered  into  the  engagements  of  a 


XVll 


third  profession,  with  as  little  success  as  before.  But 
he  was  not  discouraged.  An  unconquerable  deter- 
mination took  possession  of  his  soul,  that,  come  what 
would,  he  would  not  despair.  In  the  merciful  provi- 
dence of  that  Being  who  "  helps  those  who  help  them- 
selves," he  was  directed  to  the  manufacturing  of  a  cer- 
tain article  which  was  new  in  that  part  of  the  United 
States,  and  his  labors  were  rewarded  with  entire  suc- 
cess. In  a  few  years,  he  became  one  of  the  most 
affluent  individuals  in  his  vicinity. 

The  following  facts  in  relation  to  a  gentleman, 
who  is  now  a  distinguished  professor  in  one  of 
the  American  colleges,  will  afford  an  excellent  illus- 
tration for  my  purpose.  The  father  of  the  individual 
alluded  to,  was  a  poor  but  intelligent  man,  gave 
his  children  a  good  common  education,  and  also  to 
some  extent  the  privileges  of  an  academy,  which  was 
situated  in  his  native  town.  The  occupation  of  the 
son  was  that  of  husbandry,  especially  during  the  sum- 
mer months,  being  employed  by  some  neighboring 
farmer,  as  his  father  did  not  own  a  farm.  Early  in 
life  he  acquired  a  taste  for  mathematics,  and  never 
afterwards  did  he  advance  so  rapidly  in  geometry 
and  the  kindred  studies,  in  the  same  number  of  hours' 
application  to  them,  as  in  the  evening  after  ten  or 
twelve  hours  of  hard  labor  in  the  field.  Having 
obtained  permission  to  see  some  of  the  astronomical 
instruments  belonging  to  the  academy,  he  became 
particularly  attached  to  practical  astronomy,  though 
he  could  gain  access  only  to  elementary  books. 
Having  made  an  observation  upon  an  eclipse  of  the 
sun,  for  the  purpose  of  determining  the  longitude  of 
c 


XVIU 


the  place,  he  commenced  the  work  of  resolving  the 
problem  with  only  the  general  directions  and  tables  in 
the  common  books  of  navigation ;  and  although  it 
cost  him  several  months  of  severe  study,  he  succeeded 
in  obtaining  a  correct  result,  except  the  errors  of  the 
lunar  tables.  He  did  not  engage  in  the  study  of 
Latin  and  Greek,  until  after  he  had  been  interested 
several  years  in  mathematics,  and  then,  mainly  because 
he  found  that  he  could  not  otherwise  become  a  teacher. 
While  occupied  in  these  studies,  he  supported  himself 
in  part  by  occasionally  surveying  land,  and  in  part  by 
undertaking  the  business  of  a  carpenter,  having  dis- 
covered that  this  art  depended  on  a  few  simple 
mathematical  principles,  easily  applied.  The  object 
which  he  now  had  in  view,  was  to  prepare  himself  to 
enter  Harvard  college  two  or  three  years  in  advance. 
He  was  for  the  most  part  his  own  instructer.  The 
minister  of  the  parish  rendered  him  some  assistance  ; 
but  the  whole  amount  of  his  recitations  in  Latin, 
Greek,  Hebrew,  French,  philosophy,  chemistry,  and 
natural  history,  during  the  whole  course  of  his  life 
thus  far,  has  not  been  greater  than  the  recitations  in 
college  for  six  months.  Having  looked  forward  with 
much  pleasure  to  the  privileges  of  a  college,  and 
having  been  nearly  prepared  to  enter  a  junior  class, 
a  sudden  termination  was  put  to  his  literary  efforts  by 
the  failure  of  his  eyes,  in  consequence  of  applying  too 
closely  to  the  study  of  the  Greek  language,  during  a 
feeble  state  of  health.  For  the  following  year,  he 
was  compelled  to  abandon  reading  and  study  almost 
wholly ;  and  from  that  time  to  the  present — a  period 
of  sixteen  years — he  has  rarely  been   able  to  read 


XIX 

steadily,  for  one  hour,  without  experiencing  much  and 
often   severe    pain    in   his   eyes,   sometimes  threaten- 
ing apoplexy.     This  affliction,  though  highly  benefi- 
cial in  its  moral  influence,  was  apparently  fatal  to  all 
his   literary    plans,   yet  he  could  not    quite    abandon 
them.     In  order    to    obtain    a    subsistence,    he    soon 
after  accepted  the  office  of  a  deputy   or  assistant  to 
the  sheriff  of  the  county.     Feeling  confident  that  he 
must  entirely  renounce   the   idea  of  obtaining  a  sub- 
sistence by  literary  efforts,  and  seeing  nothing  before 
him  but  a  life  of   servile  labor,    he  was    induced  to 
write   and   publish   a   dramatic   performance   of  con- 
siderable length,  with  the  hope  that  it  would  excite 
some  interest  in  his  favor,  wherever  his  lot  might  fall. 
The  composition,  though  bearing  the  marks  of  inex- 
perience, contains  some  passages  of  true  poetic  feeling, 
expressed    in    powerful    language.       Soon    after    this 
event,    he    was  very  unexpectedly    invited   to    teach 
the   academy    in  his  native  village.     To  acquit  him- 
self in    this    new    sphere    of   duty,    he    made    great 
efforts.     He  now  gave  particular  attention  to  classical 
literature.     Finding  that  his   health  had  suffered  se- 
verely   from    previous    efforts,    and    from    the   conse- 
quences of  the  dreadful  despondency  through  which 
he  had  passed,  he  was  compelled  to  abandon  mathe- 
matical and  astronomical  studies,  though  it  was  a  most 
painful  sacrifice.     Providence,    however,  furnished  a 
delightful   substitute.     Natural    history   then    first    at- 
tracted his  attention,  and  he  soon  found  that  he  could 
pursue  this  study,  without  injury  to  his  eyes,  and  with 
benefit  to  his  health,  in  the  intervals  of  severer  en- 
gagements.    These    pursuits    introduced    him   to   the 


XX 


acquaintance  of  a  number  of  distinguished  gentlemen, 
in  various  parts  of  the  country,  who  rendered  him 
very  valuable  assistance.  About  this  time,  the  honor- 
ary degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  on  him 
by  Yale  college.  The  only  pecuniary  aid  which  he 
ever  received,  during  the  course  of  his  education,  was 
ten  or  twelve  dollars.  Notwithstanding,  when  he  en- 
tered on  his  professional  duties,  he  had  obtained  a 
respectable  library,  and  was  free  from  debt.  He  is 
now  in  a  station  of  great  usefulness,  and  has  accom- 
plished several  undertakings,  which  have  conferred 
lasting  benefits  on  the  country.  In  the  two  words, 
INDUSTRY  and  perseverance,  is  contained  the  secret 
of  these  results.  With  whatever  original  powers  the 
Creator  may  have  endowed  him,  they  would  have 
availed  him  nothing  without  an  unbending  resolution, 
and  severe  and  unremitted  application.  His  history 
affords  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  energy  of  a  self 
taught  man.  Those  events,  in  the  providence  of  God, 
which  w^ould  have  presented  insurmountable  obstacles 
to  other  individuals,  were  only  an  excitement  to  him 
to  urge,  w^ith  fresh  impulse,  his  onward  course. 

Another  characteristic  of  self  taught  men,  is,  that 
they  commonly  devote  themselves  to  some  important 
practical  object.  They  do  not  waste  their  power  in 
pursuing  trifles.  They  do  not  generally  engage  in 
the  departments  of  criticism  and  metaphysics,  which 
are  rewarded  with  little  practical  result.  It  is  those, 
who  have  ample  means  of  subsistence  and  support, 
who  are  beguiled  into  merely  speculative  regions,  or 
who  devote  themselves  to  undertakings  of  moderate  or 
of  doubtful  utility.     The  case  is  different  with  those 


XXI 

who  are  dependent  on  their  own  efforts  for  every- 
thing. The  first  direction  of  their  minds  is  not  so 
much  to  the  sciences  as  to  the  arts.  Carpentry  in 
various  forms,  surveying  of  land,  the  manufacture  of 
machinery,  the  construction  of  hydrauhc  engines, 
originally  offering  themselves  to  their  notice,  gave  a 
shape  to  their  whole  subsequent  life.  It  is  to  be 
attributed  to  this  fact,  doubtless,  that  self  taught  men 
are  distinguished  for  invention  in  the  arts.  Their 
necesshies  have  given  a  readiness  to  their  minds,  ena- 
bling them  to  seize  on  those  combinations  of  thought, 
from  which  discoveries  of  great  importance  have 
sometimes  followed.  They  have  also  that  power  of 
patient  application,  which  is  alike  important  to  dis- 
covery. Causes,  however,  exist,  in  this  description  of 
men,  unfavorable  to  the  developement  of  new  truths 
in  the  abstract  sciences. 

Self  taught  men  have  also  the  faculty  of  clearly  com- 
municating their  knowledge  to  others.  In  this  respect, 
they  make  excellent  teachers.  They  have  worked 
their  own  way  up  the  steeps  of  knowledge,  and  they 
can  point  out  the  path  in  which  they  came.  Their 
attention  was  not  absorbed  by  the  movements  of  their 
guide,  for  they  had  none.  The  various  objects  which 
they  met,  they  clearly  marked  and  defined.  Whatever 
were  the  general  principles  which  they  adopted,  they 
were  not  taken  upon  trust,  but  were  well  considered. 
These  individuals  may  not  be  able  to  explain  their 
progress  logically,  or  scientifically,  but  they  can  do  it 
intelligently  and  to  good  purpose.  They  have  also, 
in  a  striking  degree,  the  ability  to  employ  familiar 
illustrations.  For  the  sake  of  throwing  light  upon 
c  * 


xxu 

their  course,  they  have  not  searched  for  the  images 
of  poetry,  nor  listened  to  the  personifications  of  the 
orator  ;  they  have  collected  the  apposite  and  graphic 
illustrations  and  facts,  which  common  people  can  ap- 
prehend and  relish,  and  which  are  gathered  from  the 
rocks  and  the  fields,  and  from  all  the  incidents  of 
ordinary  life.  Arthur  Young,  the  self  taught  English 
agriculturist,  was  distinguished  as  an  instructer,  in- 
somuch, that  La  Fayette,  and  the  Russian  prince 
Galitzin,  and  the  Russian  emperor  himself,  intrusted 
lads  to  his  guidance  and  care.  No  treatise  on  as- 
tronomy has  ever  been  so  popular,  and  deservedly  too, 
among  all  descriptions  of  learners,  as  that  of  James 
Ferguson,  who  discovered  some  of  the  principles  of 
mechanics  before  he  knew  that  any  treatise  had  been 
written  on  the  subject.  Sir  Humphrey  Davy  was, 
perhaps,  the  most  popular  lecturer,  who  ever  addressed 
a  British  audience.  This  was  owing  not  more  to  the 
enthusiasm  of  his  character,  and  his  perfect  knowledge 
of  his  subject,  than  to  the  clearness  of  his  expositions, 
and  the  transparency  and  beauty  of  his  illustrations. 

There  are,  notwithstanding  these  various  excellen- 
cies, several  acknowledged  deficiencies  of  character. 
There  are  blemishes,  both  of  an  intellectual  and  moral 
kind,  which  are  almost  inseparable  from  a  plan  of  self 
education,  and  which  are  worthy  of  distinct  considera- 
tion. 

One  of  the  most  manifest  defects  is,  want  of  com- 
prehensiveness of  mind.  The  special  advantage  of  a 
teacher  is,  to  point  out  the  connections  among  the 
different  arts  and   sciences,  their  relative  importance, 


xxm 

the  natural  order  of  studying  them,  and  the  evils  of  a 
disproportionate  attention  to  any  one  of  them.  The 
general  directions  of  a  judicious  teacher  are  invaluable. 
They  are  like  a  drawing  of  the  heavens  to  direct  the 
course  of  the  youthful  observer  among  the  millions  of 
stars.  But  a  student,  without  the  instructions  of  an 
experienced  guide,  will  be  liable  to  seize  at  once  upon 
the  parts  of  a  subject,  or  upon  the  middle  of  a  treatise, 
without  ever  having  surveyed  his  ground,  or  marked 
its  general  bearings.  He  will  thus  expend  his  labor 
at  unimportant  points,  or  in  a  disproportionate  degree. 
There  will  be  little  symmetry  and  scientific  method  in 
his  studies.  His  labors  will  resemble  those  of  a  me- 
chanic, who  should  place  a  well-finished  door  or- 
window  in  the  side  of  an  old  and  dilapidated  dwelling. 
He  has  an  accurate  acquaintance  with  one  branch  of 
a  subject,  while  all  around  it  is  in  disorder  and  de- 
formity. And  here  it  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  he 
will  gain  a  more  thorough  knowledge  of  a  specific  topic, 
in  consequence  of  giving  an  exclusive  attention  to  it ; 
and  that  this  will  atone  for  the  loss  of  a  general  acquaint- 
ance with  the  subject.  The  study  of  Webber's  trigo- 
nometry will  furnish  as  much  discipline  for  the  mind, 
if  the  student,  before  he  commences  his  investigation, 
knows  the  general  relations  of  the  mathematical  sci- 
ences, as  if  he  had  no  such  general  knowledge.  A 
greater  amount  of  mental  discipline  can  be  acquired, 
by  studying  the  sciences  in  their  natural,  scientific 
order,  than  by  attending  to  them  exclusively  and  at 
random.  A  self  taught  man  is  frequently  attached, 
with  a  kind  of  favoritism,  to  a  particular  study.  It 
absorbs  his  whole  attention,   and  all  other  arts  or  sci- 


XXIV 

ences  are  proportionably  undervalued  and  slighted. 
The  distinguished  painter,  Hogarth,  affected  to  despise 
literature,  and  indeed  every  species  of  mental  cuhi- 
vation,  except  the  knowledge  of  the  art  of  painting ; 
and  he  even  professed  himself  to  have  little  or  no 
acquaintance  with  anything  else.  The  celebrated, 
self  taught  anatomist.  Dr.  John  Hunter,  was  almost 
entirely  ignorant  of  all  learning,  even  with  that  con- 
nected with  his  own  profession.  It  has  been  asserted, 
that  it  not  unfrequently  happened,  that  upon  commit- 
nicating  a  supposed  discovery  of  his  own  to  some 
one  of  his  more  erudite  friends,  he  had  the  mortifica- 
tion to  learn  that  the  same  thing  had  already  been 
discovered  by  some  other  well  known  anatomist. 
Michael  Angelo  could  scarcely  spell  his  name  cor- 
rectly. Benjamin  AVest,  the  president  of  the  Royal 
Academy  for  almost  thirty  years,  never  attained  to  a 
style  of  ordinary  correctness  in  his  orthography.  The 
disadvantages  of  the  want  of  an  early  education,  can 
never,  indeed,  be  entirely  overcome.  There  will 
always  be  lingering  traces  of  the  deficiency.  It  is 
like  the  acquisition  of  the  pronunciation  of  a  foreign 
language  at  a  late  period  in  life.  The  nice  peculiari- 
ties and  shades  of  sound  cannot,  by  any  effort,  be 
acquired. 

Self  taught  men  are  specially  liable  to  an  exclusive 
attachment  to  pursuits,  which  are  obviously  and  im- 
mediately practical.  There  seems  to  be  a  general 
impression,  that  poetry,  and  the  kindred  branches  of 
literature,  furnish  little  else  but  amusement,  and  if 
read  at  all,  can  afford  materials  for  recreation 
only  in  the   intervals  of  imperious  duty.     The   ten- 


XXV 


dency  to  judge  in  this  manner  can  be  accounted  for, 
without  any  difficuhy,  from  the  circumstances  in  which 
self  educated  men  are  placed,  but  the  effects  are  very 
pernicious.  Poetry,  in  its  best  sense,  is  altogether  a 
practical  study.  Its  influence  upon  the  whole  mind 
of  a  reader,  is,  in  the  highest  degree,  favorable.  As 
history  is  said  to  be  philosophy  teaching  by  example, 
so  poetry  is  philosophy  teaching  by  music.  It  is  good 
sense,  pouring  itself  out  in  sweet  sounds.  It  is  power- 
ful thought,  uttering  itself  in  the  voices  of  angels.  A 
true  poet  is  a  philosopher.  Mihon,  and  Wordsworth, 
and  Coleridge,  understand  the  phenomena  of  the 
human  mind,  as  well  as  Malebranche,  or  Reid,  or 
Brown.  They  have  the  same  capacities  of  wide  gen- 
eralization, and  accurate  analysis,  and  faithful  exposi- 
tion. To  read  such  poets,  is  as  directly  conducive  to 
usefulness,  as  it  is  to  read  the  ablest  metaphysical 
treatise.  We  cannot  avoid  regretting  that  a  man 
like  Dr.  Franklin,  w^as  not  conversant  with  the  best 
poets.  It  would  have  been  no  injury  to  his  usefulness 
as  a  profound  observer  of  human  manners.  Common 
sense  and  the  loftiest  imagination  are  perfectly  coinci- 
dent. The  same  man  may  condense  his  ideas  into 
epigrams  and  proverbs,  or  pour  them  out  in  strains  of 
the  most  vigorous  and  harmonious  versification.  It  is 
recorded  of  him  who  "  spake  three  thousand  proverbs, 
that  his  songs  were  a  thousand  and  five."  He  that 
was  wiser  than  all  the  children  of  men,  who  so  con- 
densed and  embodied  his  thoughts  as  to  make  nearly 
every  word  instinct  with  sentiment,  could  delightfully 
sing,  "  the  winter  is  past,  the  rain  is  over  and  gone, 
the  flowers  appear  on  the  earth,  the  time  of  the  singing 


XXVI 

of  birds  is  come,  and  the  voice  of  the  turtle  is  heard 
in  the  land."  If  Benjamin  West  had  read  Chaucer, 
and  Spenser,  and  Mihon,  it  would  not  have  subtracted 
in  the  least  from  his  enthusiasm  for  his  favorite  art, 
while,  in  a  thousand  ways,  it  would  have  aided  his 
power  of  conceiving  and  of  delineating  on  the  can- 
vass, the  varieties  of  human  character.  It  would  also 
have  relieved  the  "  American"  president  of  the  Royal 
Academy,  of  the  charge  of  being  an  illiterate  man.  John 
Opie,  and  professor  Heyne,  and  Sir  Humphrey  Davy, 
showed  their  good  sense  in  nothing  more  than  by  an 
earnest  attention  to  various  branches  of  literature  and 
science.  It  is  not  pretended  that  every  man  ought  to 
attempt  to  become  an  universal  scholar  ;  but  that  the 
highest  excellence  in  any  one  pursuit,  is  inconsistent 
with  entire  ignorance  of  science  and  literature  gener- 
all}^  Self  educated  men  are  peculiarly  exposed  to 
danger  from  this  quarter  ;  and  instead  of  banishing 
w^orks  of  taste  and  imagination  from  the  farm-house, 
and  the  lyceum,  and  the  manual  labor  school,  they 
are  the  very  productions  which  ought  to  meet  with  a 
welcome  reception.  It  has  been  said  that  very  few,  if 
any,  discoveries  in  the  abstract  sciences,  have  ever  been 
made  by  men  who  have  instructed  themselves ;  that 
the  general  advancement  of  knowledge  is  almost  en- 
tirely to  be  ascribed  to  men  who  have  received  a 
regular  education.  The  labors  of  Franklin,  Ritten- 
house,  and  others,  may  furnish  some  exceptions  to 
this  remark.  Nevertheless,  it  is  generally  true,  that 
prior  to  a  particular  discovery,  an  individual  must 
take  a  wide,  general  survey  of  the  fields  of  knowledge, 
else  he  may  fondly  imagine  that  he  has  elicited  some 


xxvu 

new  truth,  which  may  at  length  appear  to  have  been 
long  before  discovered  and  classified.  Original  con- 
ception, and  inventive  genius,  are  in  perfect  harmony 
with  extensive  acquisitions.  He,  who  would  advance 
in  any  department  of  knowledge,  must  know  what 
others  have  done  before  him.  Instead  of  decrying 
the  models  of  taste  and  genius  of  other  ages  and 
countries,  it  is  the  wisdom  of  every  man  to  study  them 
patiently  and  thoroughly.  This  is  not  a  degrading 
subjection  to  other  minds,  which  will  cramp  or  annihi- 
late genius.  If  ever  there  was  an  original  author,  it 
was  John  Milton — he  who  "  chose  early  and  began 
late."  But  who  does  not  know  that  Paradise  Lost  is 
the  spoils  of  all  times  and  of  all  countries.  If  ever 
there  was  an  universal  plunderer,  if  ever  there  was  a 
boundless  plagiary,  it  was  this  same  John  Milton.  He 
searched  the  Jewish  records,  and  the  Christian 
economy.  He  opened  the  Talmud,  and  he  perused 
the  Koran.  He  revelled  in  the  fields  of  Achaia,  and 
on  the  hill-sides  of  Judea.  He  listened  to  the  sweet 
music  under  Italian  skies,  and  to  the  awful  prophecies 
of  the  Druids.  He  drank  alike  of  the  Eurotas,  and 
of  that  "  stream  which  flows  fast  by  the  oracle  of 
God." 

Another  evil  to  which  men  of  this  class  are  liable 
is,  what  may  be  expressed  by  the  term  rigidness  of 
character.  They  sometimes  acquire  a  fierceness  of 
independence,  an  extreme  hardihood  of  spirit,  which 
nearly  destroys  their  social  sympathies,  and  greatly 
subtracts  from  their  usefulness.  They  were  them- 
selves nursed  in  winds  and  storms.  They  trampled 
the  most  formidable  difficulties  under  their  feet,  and 


XXVlll 


smote  into  the  dust  every  enemy,  which  rose  up 
against  them.  Some  of  them  seemed  to  triumph  over 
physical  impossibilities,  and  to  make  the  loss  of  one 
faculty  or  sense,  the  stimulus  to  push  their  remaining 
powers  to  the  ultimate  limit  of  perfection.  Hence 
they  infer  that  this  same  fortitude  and  fearlessness 
belongs,  or  should  belong,  to  every  other  human 
being.  Finding  a  deficiency  of  these  stern  qualities, 
they  consider  it  as  an  offence  almost  unpardonable. 
They  do  not  have  compassion  on  the  erring  and  igno- 
rant. They  do  not  make  sufficient  allowance  for 
human  infirmity.  They  do  not  recollect,  perhaps, 
those  favorable  conjunctures  in  the  providence  of  God, 
of  which  they  took  advantage,  and  which  may  not  fall 
to  the  lot  of  others.  Those,  who  have  amassed  large 
estates,  by  vigorous  personal  effort,  are  sometimes 
disposed  to  carry  habits  of  economy  to  absolute 
avarice.  Misers  are  frequently  found  among  this 
class  of  men.  What  is  won  with  hardship  is  held 
with  a  tenacious  grasp.  Fortunes  thus  acquired  will 
not  be  dissipated,  at  least  till  the  second  generation ; 
a  generation  which  knows  not  the  habits  of  their 
fathers.  An  individual,  who  has  become  affluent  by 
his  own  exertions,  may  acquire  habits  of  genuine 
philanthropy,  and  in  that  case,  is  entitled  to  greater 
commendation,  in  consequence  of  the  difficulties 
which  he  has  overcome ;  still  there  is  ground  to 
apprehend  that  his  charities  will  be  confined  to  one  or 
two  favorite  channels,  and  that,  in  the  multiplicity  of 
the  smaller  incidents  and  occasions  of  life,  he  will  be 
far  from  exhibiting  genuine  greatness  of  soul,  or 
real   philanthropy   of  feeling.     From  the  very   nature 


XXIX 

of  the  case,  he  will  be  disposed  to  ascribe  an  undue 
importance  to  the  various  contrivances  and  systems, 
which  are  intended  to  enable  an  individual,  without 
pecuniary  resources,  to  rise,  by  personal  exertion,  to 
spheres  of  usefulness  and  honor. 

Intimately  connected  with  the  deficiency  of  charac- 
ter just  described,  is  the  habit  of  over-estimating  per- 
sonal or  other  attainments.  Self-confidence  is  fre- 
quently carried  too  far.  A  great  change  in  external  cir- 
cumstances, is  always  attended  with  imminent  danger 
in  the  subject  of  it.  Elevate  a  servant  to  a  throne, 
impart  at  once  large  literary  treasures  to  an  ignorant 
and  obscure  individual,  fill  the  house  of  the  poor  man 
with  wealth ;  and  you  take  a  most  effectual  way  to 
imbue  them  with  the  spirit  of  arrogance  and  vanity. 
Julius  Caesar  Scaliger,  the  great  critic,  was  a  self 
taught  man,  but  guilty  of  the  most  excessive  affectation 
and  pride.  He  was  contented  to  be  called  Bordoni, 
and  the  son  of  a  minature  painter,  till  he  was  nearly 
fifty  years  old.  He  then  composed  an  elaborate  me- 
moir of  his  own  life,  in  which  he  pretended  that  he 
was  the  last  surviving  descendant  of  a  princely  house 
of  Verona.  Bandinelli.  an  Italian  sculptor,  the  son  of 
a  goldsmith,  and  a  grandson  of  a  common  coal-man, 
having  in  the  course  of  his  life  acquired  great  wealth, 
and  having  been  created  a  knight  by  Charles  V.,  is  said 
to  have  repeatedly  changed  his  name,  in  order  to  hide 
his  parentage ;  and  to  have  fixed  at  last  upon  that  by 
which  he  is  generally  known,  in  order  that  he  might 
appear  to  have  sprung  from  a  noble  family.  A  similar 
anxiety  to  secure  to  himself  the  reputation  of  a  name, 

D 


XXX 


was  manifested  by  the  great  Spanish  dramatist,  Lopez 
de  Vega. 

One  of  the  especial  benefits  of  a  regular  education, 
is  to  wear  away  or  cut  off  these  excrescences  of  char- 
acter. It  is  exceedingly  difficult  for  an  individual  to 
retain  in  quiet  possession,  within  the  walls  of  a  college, 
a  great  amount  of  self-conceit  or  vanity.  He  comes 
into  contact  with  rough  corners.  He  is  speedily  in 
collision  with  flint.  Powerful  minds  will  meet  in  fierce 
competition,  and  sad  will  be  his  lot  who  brings  into 
debate  an  unusual  share  of  self-importance.  College 
is  a  great  leveher.  Hence  it  is,  that  in  the  last 
sessions  of  a  collegiate  course,  the  real  advance  can 
be  measured  by  contrasting  the  accompanying  modesty 
and  docility,  with  the  opposite  qualities,  which  are 
frequently  visible  at  the  earlier  periods.  At  college, 
an  individual  will  be  compelled  to  learn  what  his 
real  talents  and  attainments  are.  There  is  scarcely 
the  possibiHty  of  deceiving  several  keen-eyed  equals. 
There  is  very  rarely  an  undue  degree  of  sympathy  or 
compassion  in  a  class-mate.  But  in  the  case  of  an 
individual,  who  has  educated  himself,  there  is  no  class 
of  men  any  where  in  his  neighborhood  with  which  he 
can  compare  himself.  He  grows  up  alone.  An  innate 
vigor  is  the  sap  which  nourishes  him.  All  the  indi- 
viduals of  his  acquaintance  are,  perhaps,  clearly  his 
inferiors.  At  the  same  time,  his  injudicious  relatives 
may  administer  large  draughts  of  flattery  to  his  lips, 
till  he  becomes  exceedingly  wise  in  his  own  sight, 
and  the  wonder  of  the  age  which  has  produced  him. 
As  correctives  of  this   very  obvious  evil,  our  public 


XXXI 


institutions  are   admirably  adapted,  and   are,  in  fact, 
indispensable. 

To  the  numerous  class  of  young  men,  in  the  United 
States,  who  are  mainly  dependent  on  their  own  re- 
sources for  knowledge,  or  respectability,  one  of  the  most 
important  counsels  of  wisdom,  which  can  be  address- 
ed, is,   STUDY  YOUR  OWN  CHARACTER  AND  PROSPECT^. 

If  you  are  just  emerging  from  obscurity,  and  breathing 
the  fresh  air  of  an  emancipated  mind,  and  thirsting  for 
improvement,  and  occasionally  catching  some  gleams 
of  light  from  that  undiscovered  land  of  promise,  which 
Hes  in  the  distant  horizon ;  let  not  your  fancy,  nor  your 
exched  feelings,  lead  you  captive.  Be  calm  and  con- 
siderate. A  wrong  step  now  may  blast  your  hopes 
forever.  An  imperfect  estimate  of  the  deficiencies  of 
your  character,  may  impede  your  course  through  your 
whole  subsequent  life.  Be  willing  to  know  all  the  wrong 
habits  which  you  have  cherished,  and  all  the  w^eak- 
nesses  of  your  mind.  Study  your  excellencies  also, 
so  that  you  may  not  cultivate  them  disproportionately, 
nor  yield  to  the  influence  of  depression  or  despair, 
when  you  are  tempted  to  place  too  low  an  estimate  on 
your  powers  or  acquirements.  Be  solicitous  especially 
to  understand  what  your  physical  constitution  is,  so 
that  you  may  make  it  subservient,  from  the  beginning, 
to  the  most  perfect  action  of  mind  and  heart,  so  that 
all  your  capacities,  intellectual  and  moral,  may  be 
safely,  and  to  the  highest  degree,  developed.  If  there 
is  an  individual  of  your  acquaintance,  who  knows  your 
past  history,  and  your  mind,  and  who  has  gone  through 
the  course  which  you  are  commencing,  let  it  be  your 


xxxu 

object  to  gain  from  him  a  faithful  analysis  of  your 
character,  and  an  accurate  chart  of  that  path,  of  alter- 
nate storm  and  sunshine,  which  lies  before  you.  If 
possible,  find  an  experienced  friend,  who  has  an  en- 
larged mind  and  a  hberal  heart,  and  who  has  no  exclusive 
and  favorite  study  or  system  of  his  own. '  The  coun- 
sels of  such  a  guide  will  be  inestimable.  Next  to  the 
blessing  of  the  Almighty,  they  will  ensure  success. 
When  all  this  is  done,  form  a  calm  and  deliberate  de- 
termination that  you  will  take  that  path,  come  what 
may,  which  will  secure  your  highest  happiness  and 
usefulness.  Nourish  that  inflexible,  that  iron  deter- 
mination in  your  heart,  without  which  nothing  will  be 
achieved. 

In  the  second  place  you  will  have  occasion  to 
guard  against  underrating  knowledge.  Learning,  if  it 
be  thoroughly  apprehended  and  digested,  cannot  be 
too  highly  esteemed.  Mere  acquisition  of  facts,  in- 
deed, without  analysis  and  reflection,  is  positively 
injurious  to  the  mind.  Reading,  unattended  with  con- 
templation, will  produce  habits  of  affectation  and  pe- 
dantry. Nevertheless,  those,  who  are  most  exposed 
in  this  respect,  are  men  of  literary  leisure,  or  scholars 
by  profession.  You  are  liable  to  fall  into  the  opposite 
error.  Compelled  by  your  circumstances  to  think, 
relying  on  the  native  resources  of  your  own  mind,  you 
will  learn  to  look  disparagingly  on  the  scholar  of 
comprehensive  and  ample  attainment.  But  extensive 
acquisitions  are  perfectly  consistent  with  profound  orig- 
inal investigation.  Reading  the  thoughts  of  others, 
will  often  awaken  interesting  and  valuable  trains  of 
reflection.     An  active  mind  will  assimilate,  or  correct, 


XXXIU 

or  transform  the  views  of  the  author  whom  he  is  read- 
ing. The  very  abihty  to  peruse  certain  books,  impUes 
that  the  reader  himself  has  powers  of  reflection  and 
arrangement. 

Again,  want  of  immediate  success  at  the  commence- 
ment of  your  studies,  will,  without  great  care,  weaken 
your  resolution,  and  interrupt  your  efforts.  You  have, 
perhaps,  come  from  the  toils  of  a  shop  or  farm,  to 
the  hall  of  science,  and  to  the  pursuhs  of  the  scholar. 
Habits  of  close  investigation  cannot  be  acquired  in 
a  day.  A  wandering  mind  cannot  be  fixed  without 
painful  effort.  Associations  acquired  in  pursuits  alien 
,  from  science  and  taste,  cannot  be  changed  at  the  mere 
bidding  of  the  will.  Those  lands  of  beauty  and  joy, 
which  shall  at  length  open  to  your  view,  are  at  the 
commencement  of  your  course,  shrouded  in  impene- 
trable clouds.  Algebra  and  Plato  are  invested  with 
their  full  charms  only  to  the  practised  eye,  and  to  the 
disciplined  intellect.  You  need  to  fortify  your  mind 
with  the  strong  convictions  of  duty.  Barkening 
invariably  to  the  decisions  of  an  enlightened  con- 
science, and  to  the  dictates  of  sound  reason,  you  will 
at  length  find  that  the  path  of  enlarged  thought,  and 
of  cultivated  feeling,  and  of  refined  taste,  is  the  path 
of  pleasure. 

You  will  be  under  the  necessity,  moreover,  of  ren- 
dering all  your  efforts  at  manual  labor,  and  in  procur- 
ing a  supply  for  your  physical  wants,  subservient  to  a 
certain  purpose — advancement  in  mental  and  moral 
power.  They  must  be  means,  not  an  end.  If  you 
are  preparing  for  either  of  the  learned  professions,  or 
to  influence  public  opinion  in  any  way,  you  must  make 

D* 


XXXIV 


all  things  subordinate  to  your  purpose.  It  is  not  your 
object  to  become  an  ingenious  mechanic,  an  efficient 
merchant,  or  a  practical  farmer.  Some  individuals, 
who  are  in  a  course  of  education,  take  more  pleasure 
in  the  shop  or  on  the  farm,  than  in  the  study,  and  are 
more  solicitous  to  be  accounted  skilful  workmen  than 
powerfid  scholars.  It  is  the  grand  design,  or  it  ought 
to  be,  of  all  manual  labor  academies,  to  promote  men- 
tal and  moral  improvement.  The  connection  between 
the  system  of  bodily  exercise,  in  all  hs  details,  and 
literary  progress,  should  be  manifest  and  prominent. 
The  high  cultivation  and  valuable  products  of  a  farm, 
or  a  garden,  should  not  be  the  boast  of  these  institu- 
tions. They  are  but  minor  and  secondary  matters. 
It  is  the  bearing  of  these  things  on  the  developement 
of  the  mind,  and  of  the  heart,  which  should  arrest  the 
attention  and  be  rewarded  with  the  encouragement  of 
every  observer.  If  this  object  is  overlooked,  or  mani- 
festly neglected,  manual  labor  schools  will  be  an  utter 
failure,  and  there  will  be  an  universal  return  to  the 
old  systems  of  mere  literary  study,  without  any  atten- 
tion to  the  physical  wants.  These  schools,  to  be  suc- 
cessful, must  furnish  better  scholars  than  any  others — 
men  of  more  vigorous  understanding,  and  of  more 
mental  discipline.  Bodies  of  perfect  symmetry,  and  of 
gigantic  muscular  strength,  are  worthless  in  themselves 
alone.  This  is  a  subject  of  great  practical  importance. 
If  these  institutions  fail  on  any  one  point,  it  will  be  on 
this ;  and  for  a  very  obvious  reason.  It  is  important 
to  direct  public  attention  prominently  to  the  physical 
part  of  the  arrangements,  or  that  wherein  the  institu- 
tion differs  from  those  conducted  on  the  former  plan, 


XXXV 


in  order  to  secure  a  sufficient  amount  of  public  patron- 
age. Consequently  the  principal  interest  of  the  com- 
munity will  be  concentrated  upon  that  which  is  ob- 
viously of  secondary  importance.  Besides,  every  in- 
dividual who  engages  in  physical  exercise  of  any  kind, 
must  feel  a  considerable  degree  of  attachment  to  this 
exercise,  if  he  designs  to  derive  from  it  material  ben- 
efit. This  attachment,  by  a  very  common  law  of  the 
human  mind,  may  increase  and  become  the  master 
passion  of  his  soul. 

In  regard  to  such  individuals,  in  the  class  of  self 
taught  men,  who  devote  their  attention  to  any  of  the 
mechanic  arts,  or  to  either  of  the  departments  in  com- 
mon life  and  business,  though  their  particular  pursuit 
is  to  engross  their  chief  attention,  yet  it  is  of  great 
importance  that  they  become  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  principles  of  their  trade,  and  with  the  reasons 
of  the  rules,  according  to  which  they  daily  practice. 
They  should  throw  as  much  mind  as  possible  into  all 
which  they  undertake.  The  perfection  of  machinery, 
and  the  excellence  of  soils,  are  not  the  only  object  of 
inquiry.  The  thorough  acquaintance  with  the  philoso- 
phy of  the  art,  the  means  of  its  advancement,  and  the 
ways  in  which  it  can  confer  the  greatest  possible 
benefits  on  mankind — these  are  the  topics  which  will 
command  the  attention  of  an  individual,  in  proportion 
as  his  views  are  expanded,  and  his  feelings  benevolent. 
No  inconsiderable  number  of  self  taught  men  have,  in 
this  way,  conferred  invaluable  benefits  upon  mankind. 
Watt,  Fulton,  Whitney,  Franklin,  and  Davy,  will  be 
dear  and  cherished  names,  ages  hence. 


XXXVl 

Another  class  of  individuals  to  whom  I  have  allud- 
ed, are  pursuing  a  partial  course,  of  self  education  at 
lyceums.  They  can  devote  to  literary  and  scientific 
pursuits,  only  a  limited  portion  of  time,  perhaps  simply 
the  evenings  of  the  winter  months.  By  associating 
all  the  young  men  and  others  in  the  town,  and  statedly 
meeting  for  the  consideration  and  discussion  of  impor- 
tant subjects,  very  great  benefits  may  be  derived,  pro- 
vided the  association  can  be  made  to  exist  for  a  suffi- 
cient length  of  time.  It  needs  a  principle  of  vitality. 
To  secure  any  great  degree  of  usefulness,  permanence 
must  be  given  to  it.  It  is  a  voluntary  association  in 
the  strictest  sense  of  the  term.  But  no  object  of 
much  importance  can  be  secured,  without  the  feeling 
of  responsibleness,  or  accountability  in  some  of  the 
individuals  concerned.  A  few  lectures  on  the  com- 
mon and  familiar  topics  of  science,  or  on  matters  of 
local  history,  will  be  of  little  service.  There  must  be 
a  plan  to  secure  a  permanent  and  enduring  interest. 
As  many  individuals  as  possible  must  be  brought  into 
fervent  co-operation.  New  arrangements  of  subjects 
must  be  occasionally  adopted.  Foreign  aid,  whenever 
practicable,  must  be  secured.  A  well  chosen  and 
constantly  accumulating  library  must  be  obtained. 
And  what  is,  perhaps,  of  greater  importance  than  any 
thing  else,  all  the  members  must  have  something  to 
do.  Personal  participation  is  the  great  secret  of  ex- 
citing and  maintaining  a  permanent  interest  in  an  un- 
dertaking. 

To  the  individual  who  will  even  cursorily  look  at 
the  state  of  this  country,  or  the  history  of  individual 
men,  in  comparison  with  the  history  or   condition  of 


XXXVII 


any  other  country,  it  must  appear  strikingly  obvious, 
that  never  were  circumstances  more  favorable  than 
among  us  for  the  developement  and  employment  of 
mind.  In  this  country,  character  and  influence  can 
be  gained  by  vigorous,  individual  effort.  The  whole 
community  are  the  spectators  and  judges  of  the  ad- 
vancement of  every  individual.  No  iron  hand  grasps 
a  man  as  soon  as  he  steps  into  the  world,  and  shrivels 
him  up,  while  another  rises  simply  because  he  is  kept 
down.  No  class  in  the  community  are  raised  by  the 
condition  of  their  birth,  or  by  such  adventitious  cir- 
cumstances, above  one  half  the  minds  around  them. 
Free  and  fresh  as  the  air  which  he  breathes,  each 
individual  may  start  in  the  career  of  improvement. 
Nearly  all  the  circumstances  which  are  calculated  to 
depress  and  dishearten,  arise  from  extreme  poverty 
and  a  very  obscure  parentage  and  birth-place,  or  else 
from  personal  considerations.  But  nothing  short  of 
absolute  impossibility,  in  the  providence  of  God,  ought 
to  deter  any  one  from  engaging  in  the  pursuit  of 
knowledge.  Obstacles  of  fearful  magnitude,  and  of 
almost  every  description,  have  been  overcome  in  innu- 
merable instances. 

Have  you  been  deprived  of  one  of  your  senses  ? 
Not  a  few  have  vanquished  this  impediment.  The 
instance  of  Mr.  Nelson,  the  late  learned  and  classical 
professor  in  Rutgers  college.  New  Jersey,  as  detailed 
by  Prof.  McVicar,  in  his  Life  of  Griffin,  is  admirably 
in  point.  Total  blindness,  after  a  long,  gradual  ad- 
vance, came  upon  him  about  his  twentieth  year,  when 
terminating  his  college  course.  It  found  him  poor, 
and  left   him  to   all   appearance   both    penniless   and 


XXXVlll 

wretched,  with  two  sisters  to  maintain,  without  money, 
without  friends,  without  a  profession,  and  without  sight. 
Under  such  an  accumulation  of  griefs,  most  minds 
would  have  sunk,  but  with  him  it  was  otherwise.  At 
all  times  proud  and  resolute,  his  spirit  rose  at  once 
into  what  might  be  called  a  fierceness  of  independence. 
He  resolved  within  himself  to  be  indebted  for  support 
to  no  hand  but  his  own.  His  classical  education, 
which  from  his  feeble  vision  had  been  necessarily 
imperfect,  he  now  determined  to  complete,  and  imme- 
diately entered  upon  the  apparently  hopeless  task,  with 
a  view  to  fit  himself  as  a  teacher  of  youth.  He  in- 
structed his  sisters  in  the  pronunciation  of  Greek  and 
Latin,  and  employed  one  or  other  constantly  in  the 
task  of  reading  aloud  to  him  the  classics  usually  taught 
in  the  schools.  A  naturally  faithful  memory,  spurred 
on  by  such  strong  excitement,  performed  its  oft-re- 
peated miracles  5  and  in  a  space  of  time  incredibly 
short,  he  became  master  of  their  contents,  even  to  the 
minutest  points  of  critical  reading.  On  a  certain  occa- 
sion, a  dispute  having  arisen  between  Mr.  Nelson,  and 
the  classical  professor  of  the  college,  as  to  the  con- 
struction of  a  passage  in  Virgil,  from  which  his  stu- 
dents were  reading,  the  professor  appealed  to  the 
circumstance  of  a  comma  in  the  sentence,  as  con- 
clusive of  the  question.  "  True,"  said  Mr.  Nelson, 
coloring  with  strong  emotion  ;  "  but  permit  me  to  ob- 
serve," added  he,  turning  his  sightless  eye-balls  to- 
wards the  book  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  "  that  in 
my  Heyne  edition,  it  is  a  colon,  and  not  a  comma." 
He  soon  established  a  school  for  classical  education. 
The   novelty   and   boldness   of  the   attempt   attracted 


XXXIX 


general  attention ;  the  lofty  confidence  he  displayed  in 
himself,  excited  respect ;  and  soon  his  untiring  assi- 
duity, his  real  knowledge,  and  a  burning  zeal,  which, 
knowing  no  bounds  in  his  devotion  to  his  scholars, 
awakened  somewhat  of  a  corresponding  spirit  in  their 
minds,  completed  the  conquest.  His  reputation  spread 
daily,  scholars  flocked  to  him  in  crowds,  and  in  a  few 
years,  he  found  himself  in  the  enjoyment  of  an  in- 
come superior  to  that  of  any  coHege  patronage  in  the 
United  States.  Fernandez  Navarete,  a  distinguished 
Spanish  painter,  was  seized  with  an  illness,  when  only 
two  years  old,  which  left  him  deaf  and  dumb  for  life. 
Yet,  in  this  state,  he  displayed  from  his  infancy  the 
strongest  passion  for  drawing,  covering  the  walls  of  the 
apartments  with  pictures  of  all  sorts  of  objects,  per- 
formed with  charcoal ;  and  having  afterwards  studied 
under  Titian,  he  became  eventually  one  of  the  great- 
est artists  of  his  age.  He  could  both  read  and  write, 
and  even  possessed  considerable  learning.  Nicholas 
Saunderson,  one  of  the  illustrious  men  who  has  filled  the 
chair  of  Lucasian  professor  of  mathematics  at  Cam- 
bridge, when  only  two  years  old  was  deprived,  by 
small-pox,  not  only  of  his  sight,  but  of  his  eyes  them- 
selves, which  were  destroyed  by  abscess.  He  was 
sent  to  the  school  at  Penniston,  early  in  life,  and  soon 
distinguished  himself  by  his  proficiency  in  Greek  and 
Latin.  He  acquired  so  great  a  familiarity  with  the 
Greek  language,  as  to  be  in  the  habit  of  having  the 
works  written  in  it,  read  to  him — and  following  the 
meaning  of  the  author  as  if  the  composition  had  been 
in  English  ;  while  he  showed  his  perfect  mastery  over 
the  Latin,  on  many  occasions  in  the  course  of  his  life, 


xl 

by  both  dictating  and  speaking  it  with  the  utmost 
fluency  and  command  of  expression.  In  1728,  he 
was  created  Doctor  of  Laws,  on  a  visit  of  George 
II.  to  the  university  of  Cambridge,  on  which  occasion 
he  dehvered  a  Latin  oration  of  distinguished  eloquence. 
He  published  an  able  and  well  known  treatise  on 
Algebra,  a  work  on  Fluxions,  and  a  Latin  commen- 
tary on  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  Principia.     His  senses  of 

hearins:  and  touch  were  carried  to  almost  incredible 

o 

perfection.  The  celebrated  mathematician,  Euler, 
was  struck  with  blindness  in  his  fifty-ninth  year,  his 
sight  having  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  his  indefatigable  ap- 
plication. He  had  literally  written  and  calculated 
himself  blind.  Yet,  after  this  calamity,  he  continued 
to  calculate  and  to  dictate  books,  at  least,  if  not  to 
write  them,  as  actively  as  ever.  His  Elements  of 
Algebra,  a  work  which  has  been  translated  into  every 
language  of  Europe,  was  dictated  by  him  when  blind, 
to  an  amanuensis.  He  published  twenty-nine  volumes 
quarto  in  the  Latin  language  alone.  The  mere  cata- 
logue of  his  published  works  extends  to  fifty  printed 
pages.  At  his  death,  he  left  about  a  hundred  memoirs 
ready  for  the  press. 

Have  you  wasted  the  early  part  of  life,  and  are  you 
now  compelled  to  commence,  if  at  all,  a  course  of 
self  education  in  the  later  period  of  youth  or  in  middle 
age  ?  Let  not  this  circumstance,  in  the  least  degree, 
weaken  your  resolution.  Numerous  are  the  instances 
in  which  this  difficulty  has  been  overcome.  Cato, 
the  celebrated  Roman  censor,  showed  his  force  of 
character  very  strikingly,  by  learning  the  Greek  lan- 
guage, in  his  old  age.     At  that  time,  the  study  of  this 


xli 

tongue  was  very  rare  at  Rome  ; — and  the  circumstance 
renders  the  determination  of  Cato,  and  his  success,  the 
more  remarkable.  It  was  the  first  foreign  language 
also,  which  he  had  acquired.  Alfred  the  Great,  of 
England,  had  reached  his  twelfth  year  before  he  had 
even  learned  his  alphabet.  An  interesting  anecdote 
is  told  of  the  occasion  on  which  he  was  first  prompted 
to  apply  himself  to  books.  His  mother,  it  seems,  had 
shown  him  and  his  brothers  a  small  volume,  illuminated 
or  adorned,  in  different  places,  with  colored  letters, 
and  such  other  embellishments,  as  was  then  the 
fashion.  Seeing  it  excite  the  admiration  of  the  chil- 
dren, she  promised  that  she  would  give  it  to  him  who 
would  first  learn  to  read  it.  Alfred,  though  the 
youngest,  was  the  only  one  who  had  spirit  to  attempt 
to  gain  the  prize  on  such  conditions,  at  least  it  was  he 
who  actually  won  it ;  for  he  immediately,  as  we  are 
told,  went  and  procured  a  teacher  for  himself,  and,  in 
a  very  short  time  was  able  to  claim  the  promised  re- 
ward. When  he  came  to  the  throne,  notwithstand- 
ing all  his  public  duties  and  cares,  and  a  tormenting 
disease,  which  scarcely  ever  left  him  a  moment  of 
rest,  it  was  his  custom,  day  and  night,  to  employ  his 
whole  leisure  time,  either  in  reading  books  himself, 
or  in  hearing  them  read  by  others.  He,  however, 
reached  his  thirty-ninth  year  before  he  began  to 
attempt  translating  any  thing  from  the  Latin  tongue. 
The  French  dramatist,  Moliere,  could  only  read 
and  write  very  indifferently  when  he  was  fourteen 
years  of  age.  Dr.  Carter,  the  father  of  the  celebrated 
Miss  Carter,  had  been  originally  intended  for  a  grazier, 
and  did  not  begin  his  studies  till  the  age  of  nineteen  or 


xlii 

twenty.  He  eventually,  however,  became  a  distin- 
guished scholar ;  and  gave  his  daughters  a  learned 
education.  Joannes  Pierius  Valerianus  was  fifteen 
years  old  before  he  began  to  learn  to  read  ;  his  pa- 
rents, indeed,  having  been  so  poor,  that  he  was  obliged 
to  commence  life  as  a  domestic  servant.  He  became 
one  of  the  most  elegant  scholars  of  his  time.  Van 
den  Vondel,  an  honored  name  in  Dutch  poetry,  and 
the  author  of  works,  which  fill  nine  quarto  volumes, 
did  not  commence  learning  Latin  till  his  twenty-sixth 
year,  and  Greek  not  till  some  years  afterwards.  Like 
many  others  of  the  literati  of  Holland,  he  began  life 
as  a  commercial  man,  and  originally  kept  a  hosier's 
shop  at  Amsterdam  ;  but  he  gave  up  the  business  to 
his  wife,  when  he  commenced  his  career  as  an  author. 
He  died  in  extreme  old  age,  after  having  occupied, 
during  a  great  part  of  his  life,  the  very  highest  place 
in  the  literature  of  his  country.  John  Ogilby,  the  well 
known  translator  of  Homer,  was  originally  a  dancing 
master.  He  had  apprenticed  himself  to  that  profes- 
sion, on  finding  himself  reduced  to  depend  on  his  own 
resources,  in  consequence  of  the  imprisonment  of  his 
father  for  debt.  Having  been  prospered  in  this  pur- 
suit, he  was  very  soon  able  to  release  his  father,  much 
to  his  credit,  with  the  first  money  which  he  procured. 
When  he  had  fairly  established  himself  in  Dublin,  the 
rebellion  of  1641  commenced,  and  not  only  swept  away 
all  his  little  property,  but  repeatedly  put  even  his  life  in 
jeopardy.  He  at  last  found  his  way  back  to  London, 
in  a  state  of  complete  destitution  ;  notwithstanding  he 
had  never  received  any  regular  education,  he  had  be- 
fore this  made  a  few  attempts  at  verse-making,  and  in 


xllii 

his  extremity  he  bethought  him  of  turning  his  talent  in 
this  way  to  some  account.  He  immediately  com- 
menced his  studies,  which  he  was  enabled  to  pursue 
chiefly  through  the  liberal  assistance  of  some  members 
of  the  university  of  Cambridge ;  and  although  then 
considerably  above  forty  years  of  age,  he  made  such 
progress  in  Latin,  that  he  was  soon  considered  able  to 
undertake  a  poetical  translation  of  Virgil.  This  work 
made  its  appearance  in  the  year  1650.  A  second 
edition  of  it  was  printed  a  few  years  afterwards,  with 
great  pomp  of  typography  and  embellishments.  Such 
was  its  success,  that  the  industrious  translator  actually 
proceeded,  although  now  in  his  fifty-fourth  year,  to 
commence  the  study  of  Greek,  in  order  that  he  might 
match  his  version  of  the  ^neid  by  others  of  the  Iliad 
and  Odyssey.  In  due  time  both  appeared.  In  1666, 
he  was  left,  by  the  great  fire  of  London,  once  more 
entirely  destitute.  With  unconquerable  courage  and 
perseverance,  however,  he  re-built  his  house  and  re- 
established his  j^rinting  press.  He  was  now  appointed 
cosmographer  and  geographical  printer  to  Charles  II. 
He  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-six  years.  In  the  United 
States,  there  have  been  numerous  instances  of  great 
success  in  professional  pursuits,  which  the  individuals 
in  question  did  not  assume  till  a  very  late  period  in 
life.  An  eminent  clergyman  in  a  New  England  city, 
toiled  in  one  of  the  most  laborious  mechanical  pro- 
fessions, till  he  w^as  far  in  advance  of  that  age  when 
study  is  generally  commenced.  He  then  pursued  a 
regular  academical  and  theological  education,  almost 
wholly  dependent  on  his  own  resources.  A  gentle- 
man, who  is  now  at  the  head  of  one  of  the  most 


xliv 

flourishing  of  the  American  colleges,  was  employed  on 
a  farm  as  a  hired  laborer,  till  he  was  beyond  that 
period  when  most  students  have  completed  their  colle- 
giate education.  The  sudden  rise  of  the  waters  of  a 
neighboring  river,  which  prevented  him  from  proceeding 
to  commence  his  labors  on  another  farm,  was  the  event, 
in  the  providence  of  God,  which  determined  him  to 
begin  his  preparation  for  college.  A  number  of  addi- 
tional striking  instances  will  be  found  in  the  course  of 
this  volume.  A  great  amount  of  mind,  and  of  use- 
fulness, is  undoubtedly  wasted,  by  the  belief  that  little 
can  be  accomplished,  if  an  individual  has  suffered  the 
first  thirty  years  of  his  life  to  pass  without  improve- 
ment. Is  it  not  an  erroneous  idea,  that  a  man  has 
reached  the  meridian  of  his  usefulness,  and  the  matu- 
rity of  his  powers,  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  or  forty 
years  ?  What  necessity  exists  for  prescribing  a  limit 
to  the  onward  progress  of  the  mind  ?  Why  set  up  a 
bound  at  a  particular  time  of  life  more  than  at  another 
time  ?  Is  there  not  a  large  number  of  men,  in  this 
country,  whose  history  would  prove  the  contrary  doc- 
trine, who  have  actually  exhibited  more  vigor  of  intel- 
lect at  fifty  years  of  age,  than  at  forty  ?  There  are 
instances  among  the  venerable  dead,  where  the  imagi- 
nation even  gathered  fresh  power  to  the  close  of  a 
long  life.  That  a  majority  of  facts  show  that  maturity 
of  intellect  is  attained  at  the  age  of  thirty-five  years, 
is  unquestionably  owing,  in  some  degree  at  least,  to 
the  influence  of  the  opinion  itself.  It  has  operated  as 
a  discouragement  to  effort. 

Once  more — are  you  called  to  struggle  with  the  diffi- 
culties arising  from  obscure  parentage  and  depressing 


xlv 

poverty  ?  Here  multitudes  have  obtained  most  honor- 
able triumphs,  and  have  apparently  risen  in  the  scale 
of  honor  and  usefulness  in  proportion  to  the  depth 
of  the  penury  or  degradation  of  their  origin.  La- 
place, a  celebrated  French  mathematician  and  astron- 
omer, and  whom  Dr.  Brewster  supposes  posterity  will 
rank  next  after  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  was  the  son  of  a 
farmer  in  Normandy.  The  American  translator  of  his 
great  work,  the  Mecanique  Celeste,  and  who  has  added 
a  commentary  in  which  the  amount  of  matter  is  much 
greater  than  in  the  original  work,  while  the  calculations 
are  so  happily  elucidated,  that  a  student  moderately 
versed  in  mathematics,  may  follow  the  great  astrono- 
mer with  pleasure  to  his  beautiful  results — is  entirely 
a  self  taught  man.  A  distinguished  benefactor  of  one 
of  our  principal  theological  seminaries,  has  risen  from 
extreme  poverty  to  the  possession  of  great  wealth  and 
respectability.  The  same  was  the  fact  also  with  a  for- 
mer lieutenant  governor  of  Massachusetts,  who,  in  the 
days  of  his  highest  prosperity,  had  none  of  that  pride 
of  fortune,  and  haughtiness  of  demeanor,  which  are 
sometimes  consequent  upon  the  unexpected  acquisition 
of  a  large  estate.  Several  of  the  most  useful  and  re- 
spected citizens  of  the  capital  of  New  England,  in  the 
early  part  of  their  life,  were  entirely  destitute  of  all 
resources,  except  the  strength  of  their  own  unconquer- 
able resolution,  and  the  favor  of  Providence.  The 
celebrated  German  metaphysical  philosopher,  Kant, 
was  the  son  of  a  harness  maker,  who  lived  in  the 
suburbs  of  his  native  city,  Konigsberg.  He  had 
hardly  arrived  at  the  age  of  manhood  before  he  lost 
both  his  parents,  who  had   never  been  able  to  afford 


xlvi 

him   much   pecuniary   assistance.     His  own   industry 
and  economy,  together  with  some  assistance  which  he 
received   from   his  relatives,  enabled   him  to  continue 
his  studies.     His  application  was  uncommonly  great, 
and    the    results  of  it,    numerous  and   extraordinary. 
He  published  a  work  on  the  Universal  Natural  History 
and  Theory  of  the  Heavens,  or  an  Essay  on  the  Con- 
stitution and  Mechanical  System  of  the  whole  Globe, 
according  to  the  Newtonian  system.     In  this  treatise 
he  anticipated  several  of  the  discoveries  of  the  astro- 
nomer Herschel.     His  principal  metaphysical    work, 
the  "  Critique  of  Pure  Reason,"  produced  an  aston- 
ishing sensation  through  all  Germany.     He  was  ap- 
pointed, in  1778,  professor  of  logic   and  metaphysics 
in  the  university  of  Konigsberg.     James  Logan,  the 
friend  of  William  Penn,  and  for  some  time  chief  jus- 
tice and  governor  of  Pennsylvania,  was  early  in  life 
apprenticed  to  a  linen-draper.     Previously  to  his  thir- 
teenth year,  he  had  studied  the  Latin,  Greek,  and  He- 
brew  languages.     In   the   sixteenth   year  of  his   age, 
having  happily  met  with  a  small  book  on  mathematics, 
he  made  himself  master  of  it  without  any  manner  of 
instruction.      Having,  also,  further  improved   himself 
in  Greek  and  Hebrew,  he  acquired  the  French,  Italian 
and  Spanish  languages.     Like  William  Penn,  he  was 
a  warm  and  efficient  friend  of  the  Indians.     He  was  a 
man   of  uncommon  wisdom,  moderation,  prudence,  of 
unblemished  morals,  and  inflexible  integrity.    Lomono- 
sofF,  the  father   of  Russian  literature,  was  descended 
from  a  poor  family  in  the  government  of  Archangel. 
His  father  was  a  fisherman,  whom  he  assisted  in  his 
labors  for  the   support  of   his   family.     In   winter,  a 


xlvii 

clergyman  taught  him  to  read.  A  poetical  spirit  and 
a  love  of  knowledge  were  awakened  in  the  boy,  by 
the  singing  of  the  psalms  at  church,  and  the  reading  of 
the  Bible.  Without  having  received  any  instruction, 
he  conceived  the  plan  of  celebrating  the  wonders  of 
creation,  and  the  great  deeds  of  Peter  1.,  in  songs  sim- 
ilar to  those  of  David.  He  died  in  1765.  The  Rus- 
sian academy  have  published  his  works  in  six  volumes, 
quarto.  He  wrote  several  treatises  on  grammar,  his- 
tory, mineralogy,  and  chemistry,  besides  some  of  the 
best  poetry  in  the  language.  Winckelman,  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  writers  on  classic  antiquities  and 
the  fine  arts,  which  modern  times  have  produced,  was 
the  son  of  a  shoemaker.  His  father,  after  vainly  en- 
deavoring, for  some  time,  at  the  expense  of  many 
sacrifices,  to  give  him  a  learned  education,  was  at  last 
obliged,  from  age  and  ill  health,  to  retire  to  an  hospi- 
tal, where  he  was,  in  his  turn,  supported  for  several 
years  in  part  by  the  labors  of  his  son,  who,  aided  by  the 
kindness  of  the  professors,  continued  to  keep  himself 
at  college,  chiefly  by  teaching  some  of  his  younger 
and  less  advanced  fellow  students.  Bartholomew 
Arnigio,  an  Italian  poet,  of  considerable  eminence,  who 
lived  in  the  sixteenth  century,  followed  his  father's 
trade  of  a  blacksmith,  till  he  was  eighteen  years  old, 
when  he  began,  of  his  own  accord,  to  apply  to  his 
studies  ;  and  by  availing  himself  of  the  aid  sometimes 
of  one  friend,  and  sometimes  of  another,  prepared 
himself  at  last  for  entering  the  university  of  Padua. 
Examples  of  this  description  it  is  unnecessary  to  mul- 
tiply. The  records  of  all  the  learned  professions  will 
show  many  instances  admirably  in  point.     Every  legis- 


xlviii 

lative  hall  would  furnish  marked  and  illustrious  speci- 
mens. The  last  degree  of  penury,  the  most  abject 
occupations  of  life,  have  not  presented  an  insurmount- 
able obstacle  to  improvement.  The  aspiring  mind  will 
pass  over  or  break  dow^n  every  impediment.  Prisons 
cannot  chain  it.  Dungeons  cannot  immure  it.  Rack- 
ing pains  cannot  palsy  its  energy.  Opposition  will 
only  nurture  hs  powers.  The  Pilgrim's  Progress  was 
written  by  a  tinker  in  prison ;  the  Saint's  Rest,  on  a 
bed  of  excruciating  pain ;  the  Apology  for  the  Free- 
dom of  the  Press,  and  the  Sermons  upon  Modern  Infi- 
delity, in  the  intervals  of  one  of  the  fiercest  diseases 
which  ever  preys  upon  man.  Pascal,  that  sublime  and 
universal  genius,  equally  at  home  in  the  most  accurate 
analysis,  and  in  the  widest  generalization,  was  visited 
with  an  inexorable  malady  during  the  greater  part  of 
his  Hfe.  Dr.  Watts,  the  sweet  psalmist  of  ages  yet  to 
come,  was  as  weak  in  body,  as  he  was  clear  and  povv- 
ful  in  intellect.  On  some  occasions,  it  would  seem, 
that  the  mind  is  conscious  of  its  own  independence, 
and  asserts  its  distinct  and  unfettered  existence  amidst 
the  severest  ills  which  can  befal  its  frail  and  dying 
companion. 

It  is  worthy  of  deep  and  careful  consideration, 
whether  our  country  does  not  demand  a  new  and 
higher  order  of  intellect,  and  whether  the  class,  whose 
character  I  have  been  considering,  cannot  furnish  a 
vast  amount  of  materials.  It  is  not  piety  alone  which 
is  needed,  nor  strength  of  body,  nor  vigor  of  mind, 
nor  firmness  of  character,  nor  purity  of  taste  ;  but  all 
these  united.     Ought  not  this  subject  to  awaken  the 


xlix 

attention  of  our  most  philanthropic  and  gifted  minds? 
Ought  not  social  libraries  to  be  collected  with  this 
main  purpose — to  furnish  stimulants  to  call  forth  all 
possible  native  talents  and  hidden  energies  ?  Should 
not  the  lyceum  lay  hold  of  this  subject  in  every  village 
in  our  land  ?  Ought  not  the  systems  of  discipline  and 
instruction  at  all  our  colleges,  to  be  framed,  and  to  be 
administered,  with  a  distinct  and  declared  regard  to 
the  benefits  which  self  taught  genius,  wath  the  super- 
added effects  of  thorough  instruction,  can  confer  upon 
the  millions  of  our  country  ?  Every  parent,  and  every 
instructer,  should  employ  special  means  to  bring  his 
children  or  his  pupils  into  such  circumstances,  and 
place  in  their  way  such  books  and  other  means,  as 
will  develope  the  original  tendencies  of  their  minds, 
and  lead  them  into  the  path  of  high  attainment  and 
usefulness.  Every  educated  man  is  under  great  re- 
sponsibilities to  bring  into  the  light  and  to  cherish  all 
the  talent,  which  may  be  concealed  in  his  neighbor- 
hood. Genius  lies  buried  on  our  mountains  and  in 
our  vallies.  Vast  treasures  of  thought,  of  noble  feeling, 
of  pure  and  generous  aspirations,  and  of  moral  and 
religious  worth,  exist  unknown — are  never  called  forth 
to  adorn  human  nature,  and  to  bless  and  save  mankind. 
Shall  not  an  effort  now  be  made  to  bring  into  action  all 
the  available  intellect  and  piety  in  the  country  ?  In  the 
lapse  of  a  few  years,  more  than  one  hundred  millions 
of  human  beings,  on  this  continent,  will  speak  the 
English  language.  To  provide  intellectual  and  moral 
sustenance  for  such  an  amazing  population,  requires 
an  enlargement  of  thought,  and  an  expansiveness  of 
philanthropy,  such  as  has  never  yet  been  exhibited  on 


1 

our  earth.  One  division  of  this  country  is  as  large 
as  that  realm  over  which  Augustus  Csesar  swayed 
his  sceptre,  and  which  Hannibal  tried  in  vain  to 
conquer.  What  immense  tides  of  immortal  life  are 
to  sweep  over  this  country,  into  the  gulf  of  eter- 
nity. We  are  called  to  think  and  to  act  on  a  grander 
scale  than  ever  fell  to  the  lot  of  man.  This  nation 
needs  what  was  conferred  on  Solomon,  "  wisdom  and 
understanding  exceeding  much,  and  largeness  of  heart, 
even  as  the  sand  that  is  on  the  sea-shore."  How 
pitiable  and  how  deplorable  are  all  the  contests  be- 
tween political  parties,  and  benevolent  societies,  and 
religious  denominations.  While  thus  contending  with 
one  another,  we  are  losing  forever  the  favorable 
moment  for  effort;  and  we  are  preparing  to  have 
heaped  upon  our  heads  the  curses  of  an  unnumbered 
posterity.  We  are  the  representatives  of  milHons. 
We  are  acting  for  masses  of  human  beings.  To  live 
simply  as  individuals,  or  as  insulated  beings,  is  a  great 
error,  and  a  serious  injustice  to  our  posterity.  We 
must  take  our  stand  on  fundamental  principles.  We 
must  set  those  great  wheels  in  motion,  which,  in  their 
revolution,  are  to  spread  light,  and  hfe,  and  joy 
through  the  land.  While  we  place  our  whole  depen- 
dence on  the  goodness  and  the  grace  of  the  Ruler  of 
the  universe,  we  must  act  as  those  who  recollect  their 
origin  at  the  Plymouth  rock,  and  from  Saxon  ancestry, 
and  who  are  conscious  of  the  high  destiny  to  which 
Providence  calls  them. 

Let  us  come  up  to  our  great  and  most  interesting 
work.  Let  us  lift  our  eyes  on  the  fields,  boundless  in 
extent,   and  white   already  to  the  harvest.     Here  in 


li 

this  age,  here  in  this  new  world,  let  the  tide  of  igno- 
rance be  stayed ;  let  the  great  mass  of  American  sen- 
timent be  thoroughly  purified ;  let  human  nature  as- 
sume its  renovated  form ;  let  the  flame  of  human 
intellect  rise,  and  sweetly  mingle  with  the  source  of 
all  mental  light  and  beauty ;  let  our  character  and 
labors  be  such,  that  we  shall  send  forward  to  the  most 
distant  posterity,  a  strong  and  steady  light.  We  must 
take  no  middle  ground.  We  must  bring  to  the  great 
work  of  illuminating  this  country,  and  of  blessing 
mankind,  every  capability  of  mind,  and  of  heart, 
which  we  possess — every  possibility  of  the  power, 
which  God  has  given  to  us. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES. 


ROGER  SHERMAN. 

"  The  self-taught  Sherman  urged  his  reasons  clear." — Humphrey's  Poems. 

Roger  Sherman  was  born  at  Newton,  Massachusetts, 
April  19,  1721.  His  great  grandfather,  Captain  John 
Sherman,  came  from  Dedham,  in  England,  to  Watertown, 
Massachusetts,  about  the  year  1635.  His  grandfather, 
William  Sherman,  was  a  farmer,  in  moderate  circumstan- 
ces. In  1723,  the  family  removed  from  Newton  to 
Stoughton.  Of  the  childhood  and  early  youth  of 
Sherman,  little  is  known.  He  received  no  other  educa- 
tion than  the  ordinary  country  schools,  in  Massachusetts, 
at  that  time,  afforded.  He  was  neither  assisted  by  a 
public  education,  nor  by  private  tuition.  All  the  valuable 
attainments,  which  he  exhibited  in  his  future  career,  were 
the  result  of  his  own  vigorous  efforts.  By  his  ardent  thirst 
for  knowledge,  and  his  indefatigable  industry,  he  attained 
a  very  commendable  acquaintance  with  general  science, 
the  system  of  logic,  geography,  mathematics,  the  general 
principles  of  history,  philosophy,  theology,  and  particularly 
law,  and  politics.  He  was  early  apprenticed  to  a  shoe- 
maker, and  he  continued  to  pursue  that  occupation  for 
some  time  after  he  was  twenty-two  years  of  age.  It  is 
recorded  of  him,  that  he  was  accustomed  to  sit  at  his 
1 


3  ROGER  SHERMAN. 

work  with  a  book  before  him,  devoting  to  study  every 
moment  that  his  eyes  could  be  spared  from  the  occupation 
in  which  he  was  engaged.  During  the  revolutionary  war, 
Mr.  Sherman  was  placed  on  a  committee  of  congress, 
to  examine  certain  army  accounts,  among  which,  was  a 
contract  for  the  supply  of  shoes.  He  informed  the  com- 
mittee that  the  public  had  been  defrauded,  and  that  the 
charges  were  exorbitant,  which  he  proved,  by  specifying 
the  cost  of  the  leather,  and  other  materials,  and  of  the 
workmanship.  The  minuteness  with  which  this  was 
done,  exciting  some  surprise,  he  informed  the  committee 
that  he  was  by  trade  a  shoemaker,  and  knew  the  value  of 
every  article.  He  was  sometimes  accused,  but  without 
justice,  of  being  vain  of  the  obscurity  of  his  origin.  From 
the  distinguished  eminence  which  he  reached,  he  probably 
contemplated,  with  satisfaction,  that  force  of  mind,  and 
that  industry,  which  enabled  him  to  overcome  all  the 
obstacles  which  encompassed  his  path.  For  the  gratifica- 
^tion,  arising  from  such  a  contemplation,  no  one  will  be 
disposed  to  censure  him. 

When  he  was  nineteen  years  of  age,  his  father  died. 
His  eldest  brother  having  previously  removed  to  New 
Milford,  in  Connecticut,  the  principal  charge  of  the  family 
devolved  on  him.  At  this  early  period  of  life,  the  care  of 
a  mother,  who  lived  to  a  great  age,  and  the  education  of  a 
numerous  family  of  brothers  and  sisters,  brought  into 
grateful  exercise  his  warm,  filial,  and  fraternal  affections. 
The  assistance  subsequently  aiforded  by  him,  to  two  of 
his  younger  brothers,  enabled  them  to  obtain  the  inesti- 
mable advantages  of  a  public  education.  He  continued 
to  reside  at  Stoughton,  about  three  years  after  the  death 
of  his  father,  principally  employed  in  the  cultivation  of 
the  farm,  and  in  otherwise  providing  for  the  maintenance 
of  the  family.  Before  he  was  twenty-one,  he  made  a 
public  profession  of  religion.     He  thus  laid  the  foundation 


ROGER  SHERMAN.  3 

of  his  character  in  piety.  That  unbending  integrity, 
which  has  almost  made  his  name  synonymous  with  virtue 
itself,  was  acquired  in  the  school  of  Christ  and  his  apostles. 
Mr.  Sherman  used  to  remark  to  his  family,  that  before  he 
had  attained  the  age  of  twenty-one  years,  he  had  learned 
to  control  and  govern  his  passions.  His  success  in  these 
efforts,  he  attributed,  in  a  considerable  degree  to  Dr. 
Watts's  excellent  treatise  on  this  subject.  His  passions 
were  naturally  strong,  but  he  had  brought  them  under 
subjection  to  such  a  degree,  that  he  appeared  to  be 
habitually  calm  and  sedate,  mild  and  agreeable.  All  his 
actions  seem  to  have  been  preceded  by  a  rigorous  self- 
examination,  and  the  answering  of  the  secret  interroga- 
tories, What  is  right  1  What  course  ought  I  to  pursue  1 
He  never  propounded  to  himself  the  questions,  Will  it  be 
popular?  How  will  it  affect  my  interest?  Hence  his 
reputation  for  integrity  was  never  questioned. 

In  1743,  he  removed  with  the  family  to  New  Milford,  a 
town  near  New  Haven,  Connecticut.  He  performed  the 
journey  on  foot,  taking  care  to  have  his  shoe-maker's  tools 
also  transported.  He  there  commenced  business  as  a  coun- 
try merchant,  and  opened  a  store  in  conjunction  with  his 
elder  brother,  which  he  continued  till  after  his  admission 
to  the  bar  in  1754.  He  discontinued  his  trade  as  a  shoe- 
maker at  the  time  this  connection  was  formed.  In  1745, 
he  was  appointed  surveyor  of  lands  for  the  county  in  which 
he  resided.  Astronomical  calculations  of  as  early  date  as 
1748,  have  been  discovered  among  his  papers.  They 
were  made  by  him  for  an  almanac,  then  published  in  New 
York,  and  which  he  continued  to  supply  for  several  suc- 
cessive years. 

About  this  time  a  providential  circumstance  led  him  to 
aspire  after  a  higher  station  in  life.  He  was  requested  by 
a  friend  to  seek  for  him  legal  advice  in  a  neighboring 
town.     To  prevent  embarrassment  and  secure  the  accu- 


4  ROGER  SHERMAN. 

rate  representation  of  the  case,  he  committed  it  to  paper 
as  well  as  he  could,  before  he  left  home.  In  stating  the 
facts,  the  lawyer  observed  that  Mr.  Sherman  frequently- 
recurred  to  a  manuscript  which  he  held  in  his  hand.  As 
it  w^as  necessary  to  make  an  application,  by  w'ay  of  peti- 
tion, to  the  proper  tribunal,  he  desired  the  paper  to  be  left 
in  his  hands,  provided  it  contained  a  statement  of  the  case 
from  w^hich  a  petition  might  be  framed.  Mr.  Sherman 
reluctantly  consented,  telling  him  that  it  was  merely  a 
memorandum  drawn  up  by  himself  for  his  own  conve- 
nience. The  lawyer,  after  reading  it,  remarked,  with  an 
expression  of  surprise,  that,  with  a  few  alterations  in  form, 
it  was  equal  to  any  petition  which  he  could  have  prepared 
himself,  and  that  no  other  was  requisite.  Having  then 
made  some  inquiries  relative  to  Mr.  Sherman's  situation 
and  prospects  in  life,  he  advised  him  to  devote  his  attention 
to  the  study  of  the  law.  But  his  circumstances  and  duties 
did  not  permit  him,  at  once,  to  follow  this  counsel.  The 
numerous  family,  which  the  recent  death  of  his  father  had 
made,  in  a  considerable  degree,  dependent  on  him  for 
support  and  education,  required  his  constant  exertions  in 
other  employments.  But  the  intimation  which  he  there 
received,  that  his  mind  was  fitted  to  higher  pursuits,  no 
doubt  induced  him  at  that  early  period  of  life,  to  devote 
his  leisure  moments  to  those  studies  which  led  him  to 
honor  and  distinguished  usefulness. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-eight  years,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Elizabeth  Hartwell,  of  Stoughton,  Massachusetts,  by 
whom  he  had  seven  children.  She  died  in  October,  1760. 
Two  of  his  children  died  in  New  Milford,  and  two  after 
his  removal  to  New  Haven.  In  1763,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Rebecca  Prescott,  of  Danvers,  Massachusetts,  by 
whom  he  had  eight  children. 

In  May,  1759,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  justices  of 
the  court  of  common  pleas  for  the  county.     He  was,  for 


ROGER  SHERMAN.  5 

many  years,  the  treasurer  of  Yale  College.  From  that 
institution  he  received  the  honorary  degree  of  master  of 
arts.  After  success,  in  some  measure,  had  crowned  his 
efforts,  he  still  continued  to  apply  himself  to  his  studies, 
with  the  most  unremitted  diligence.  Encouragement, 
instead  of  elating  him,  only  prompted  him  to  greater 
effort.  In  the  profession  which  he  had  chosen,  perhaps 
more  than  in  any  other,  men  are  compelled  to  rely  on  their 
own  resources.  Such  is  the  competition,  so  constant  is 
the  collision  of  various  minds,  that  ignorance  and  incom- 
petency will   surely  be  detected  and  exposed. 

In  1766,  he  was  appointed  a  judge  of  the  superior 
court  of  Connecticut.  In  the  same  year  he  was  chosen 
an  assistant,  or  member  of  the  upper  house  of  the  legisla- 
ture. The  first  office  he  sustained  for  twenty-three  years, 
the  last  for  nineteen  years ;  after  which  a  law  was  enacted 
rendering  the  two  offices  incompatible,  and  he  chose  to 
continue  in  the  office  of  judge.  It  is  uniformly  acknow- 
ledged, by  those  who  witnessed  his  conduct  and  abilities 
on  the  bench,  that  he  discovered  in  the  application  of  the 
principles  of  law,  and  the  rules  of  evidence  to  the  cases 
before  him,  the  same  sagacity  that  distinguished  him  as  a 
legislator.  His  legal  opinions  were  received  with  great 
deference  by  the  profession,  and  their  correctness  was 
almost  universally  acknowledged.  During  the  last  four 
years,  in  which  he  was  judge,  the  late  Chief  Justice  Ells- 
worth was  an  associate  judge  of  the  same  court ;  and  from 
the  period  of  his  appointment,  in  1785,  until  the  death  of 
Mr.  Sherman,  a  close  intimacy  subsisted  between  them. 
The  elder  president  Adams  remarks,  that  it  is  praise 
enough  to  say  that  Mr.  Ellsworth  told  me  that  he  had  made 
Mr.  Sherman  his  model  in  his  youth.  Indeed,  I  never 
knew  two  men  more  alike,  except  that  the  Chief  Justice 
had  the  advantage  of  a  liberal  education,  and  somewhat 
more  extensive  reading. 
1* 


6  ROGER  SHERMAN. 

The  period  of  our  revolutionary  struggle  now  drew  near, 
Roger  Sherman,  as  it  might  have  been  expected,  was  one 
of  the  few,  who  from  the  commencement  of  hostilities, 
foresaw  what  would  be  the  probable  issue.  He  engaged 
in  the  defence  of  our  liberties,  with  the  deliberate  firmness 
of  an  experienced  statesman,  conscious  of  the  magnitude 
of  the  undertaking,  and  sagacious  in  devising  the  means 
for  successful  opposition. 

In  August,  1774,  Mr.  Sherman,  in  conjunction  with 
Joseph  Trumbull,  Eliphalet  Dyer,  and  Silas  Deane,  was 
nominated  delegate  to  the  General  Congress  of  the 
colonies.  He  was  present  at  the  opening  of  the  first 
congress.  He  continued  a  member  of  this  body  for  the 
long  period  of  nineteen  years,  (till  his  death  in  1793,) 
whenever  the  law,  requiring  a  rotation  in  office,  admitted  it. 

In  his  new  post  of  duty,  he  soon  acquired  distinguished 
reputation.  Others  were  more  admired  for  popular  elo- 
quence, but  in  that  assembly  of  great  men,  there  was  no 
one  whose  judgment  was  more  respected,  or  whose  opin- 
ions were  more  influential.  His  venerable  appearance,  his 
republican  simplicity,  the  inflexibility  of  his  principles, 
and  the  decisive  weight  of  his  character,  commanded 
universal  homage.  In  the  fatiguing  and  very  arduous 
business  of  committees,  he  was  indefatigable.  He  was 
always  thorough  in  his  investigations,  and  all  his  proceed- 
ings were  marked  by  system.  Among  the  principal  com- 
mittees of  which  Mr.  Sherman  was  a  member,  were  those 
to  prepare  instructions  for  the  army  in  Canada ;  to  establish 
regulations  in  regard  to  the  trade  of  the  United  Colonies ; 
to  regulate  the  currency  of  the  country;  to  furnish  supplies 
for  the  army ;  to  devise  ways  and  means  for  providing  ten 
millions  of  dollars  for  the  expenses  of  the  current  year  ; 
to  concert  a  plan  of  military  operations  for  the  campaign 
of  1776  ;  to  prepare  and  digest  a  form  of  confederation  ; 
and  to  repair  to  head  quarters  at  New  York,  and  examine 
into  the  state  of  the  army. 


ROGER  SHERMAN.  7 

On  the  11th  of  June,  1776,  in  conjunction  with  John 
Adams,  Thomas  Jefferson,  Benjamin  Franklin,  and  Robert 
R.  Livingston,  Mr.  Sherman  was  appointed  on  the 
Committee  to  prepare  the  Declaration  of  Indepen- 
dence. The  committee  was  elected  by  ballot.  The 
Declaration,  as  it  is  well  known,  was  written  by  Jefferson. 
What  amount  of  influence  was  exerted  by  Sherman  in 
carrying  the  measure  through  the  congress,  is  not  certainly 
known.  The  records  of  the  proceedings  of  that  illustrious 
assembly  are  very  imperfect.  John  Adams  says  of  him, 
that  he  was  "  one  of  the  soundest  and  strongest  pillars  of 
the  revolution." 

While  he  was  performing  the  most  indefatigable  labors 
in  congress,  he  devoted  unremitting  attention  to  duties  at 
home.  During  the  war,  he  was  a  member  of  the  gover- 
nor's council  of  safety.  In  1784,  he  was  elected  mayor 
of  New  Haven,  an  office  which  he  continued  to  hold  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  his  life.  About  the  close  of  the  war, 
the  legislature  of  Connecticut  assigned  to  a  committee  01 
two,  the  arduous  service  of  revising  the  laws  of  the  State. 
Mr.  Sherman  was  one  of  this  committee.  In  1787,  he 
was  appointed,  in  conjunction  with  Dr.  Samuel  Johnson, 
and  Mr.  Ellsworth,  a  delegate  to  the  General  Convention, 
to  form  the  constitution  of  the  United  States.  Among  his 
manuscripts  a  paper  has  been  found,  containing  a  series  ot 
propositions  prepared  by  him  for  the  amendment  of  the 
old  articles  of  confederation,  the  greater  part  of  which  are 
incorporated,  in  substance,  in  the  new  constitution.  In 
the  debates  in  that  convention,  Mr.  Sherman  bore  a  con- 
spicuous part.  In  a  letter  to  Gen.  Floyd,  soon  after,  he 
says,  "  Perhaps  a  better  constitution  could  not  be  made 
upon  mere  speculation.  If  upon  experience,  it  should  be 
found  to  be  deficient,  it  provides  an  easy  and  peaceable 
mode  of  making  amendments.  But,  if  the  constitution 
should  be  adopted,  and  the  several   States  choose  some  of 


3  ROGER  SHERMAN. 

their  wisest  and  best  men,  from  time  to  time,  to  administer 
the  government,  I  believe  it  will  not  want  any  amendment. 
I  hope  that  kind  Providence,  which  guarded  these  States^ 
through  a  dangerous  and  distressing  war,  to  peace  and 
liberty,  will  still  watch  over  them  and  guide  them  in  the 
way  of  safety." 

His  exertions  in  procuring  the  ratification  of  the  con- 
stitution in  Connecticut,  were  conspicuous  and  successful. 
He  published  a  series  of  papers  over  the  signature  of 
"  Citizen,"  which  Mr.  Ellsworth  says,  materially  influ- 
enced the  public  mind  in  favor  of  its  adoption.  After  the 
ratification  of  the  constitution,  he  was  immediately  elected 
a  representative  of  the  State  in  congress.  Though  ap- 
proaching the  seventieth  year  of  his  age,  he  yet  took  a 
prominent  part  in  the  great  topics  of  discussion,  which 
came  before  Congress. 

On  the  11th  of  February,  1790,  the  Quakers  presented 
an  address  to  the  house  on  the  subject  of  the  "  licentious 
wickedness  of  the  African  trade  for  slaves."  A  long  and 
violent  debate  occurred  on  the  propriety  of  its  being  refer- 
red to  a  committee.  Some  of  the  southern  members 
opposed  it  with  great  vehemence  and  acrimony.  Mr. 
Scott,  of  Pennsylvania,  replied,  in  an  eloquent  appeal  to  the 
justice  and  humanity  of  the  house.  Mr.  Sherman,  perceiv- 
ing that  opposition  would  merely  serve  to  inflame  the 
already  highly  excited  feelings  of  members,  with  his  usual 
calmness,  remarked  that  it  was  probable  the  committee 
would  understand  their  business,  and  they  might,  perhaps, 
bring  in  such  a  report  as  would  be  satisfactory  to  gentle- 
men on  both  sides  of  the  house.  Mr.  Sherman  and  his 
colleagues  were  triumphant :  forty-three  members  voting 
in  favor  of  the  commitment  of  the  memorial,  and  eleven  in 
opposition. 

Mr.  Sherman  uniformly  opposed  the  amendments  to  the 
constitution,  which  were  at  various  times  submitted  to  the 


ROGER  SHERMAN.  9 

house.  *'I  do  not  suppose,"  said  he,  ''the  constitution 
to  be  perfect,  nor  do  I  imagine,  if  congress  and  all  the 
legislatures  on  the  continent,  were  to  revise  it,  that  their 
labors  would  perfect  it."  He  maintained  that  the  more 
important  objects  of  government  ought  first  to  be  attended 
to ;  that  the  executive  portion  of  it  needed  organization, 
as  well  as  the  business  of  the  revenue  and  judiciary. 

In  1791,  a  vacancy  having  occurred  in  the  senate  of  the 
United  States,  he  was  elected  to  fill  that  elevated  station. 

On  the  23d  of  July,  1793,  this  great  and  excellent  man 
was  gathered  to  his  fathers,  in  the  seventy-third  year  of 
his  age.  He  died  in  full  possession  of  all  his  powers,  both 
of  mind  and  of  body. 

The  most  interesting  lesson  which  the  life  of  Mr.  Sher- 
man teaches  us,  is  the  paramount  importance  of  religious 
principle.  His  undeviating  political  integrity  was  not  the 
result  of  mere  patriotism,  or  philanthropy.  He  revolved 
in  a  higher  orbit.  The  volume  which  he  consulted  more 
than  any  other  was  the  Bible.  It  was  his  custom  to  pur- 
chase a  copy  of  the  Scriptures  at  the  commencement  of 
every  session  of  congress,  to  peruse  it  daily,  and  to  pre- 
sent it  to  one  of  his  children  on  his  return.  To  his 
familiar  acquaintance  with  this  blessed  book,  much  of  that 
extraordinary  sagacity  which  he  uniformly  exhibited,  is  to 
be  attributed.  The  second  President  Edwards  used  to 
call  him  his  "  great  and  good  friend,  senator  Sherman," 
and  acknowledged,  that,  in  the  general  course  of  a  Ion cf 
and  intimate  acquaintance,  he  was  materially  assisted  by 
his  observations  on  the  principal  subjects  of  doctrinal  and 
practical  divinity.  *'  He  was  not  ashamed,"  says  Dr. 
Edwards,  "  to  befriend  religion,  to  appear  openly  on  the 
Lord's  side,  or  to  avow  and  defend  the  peculiar  doctrines 
of  grace.  He  was  exemplary  in  attending  all  the  institu- 
tions of  the  gospel,  in  the  practice  of  virtue  in  general, 
and  in  showing  himself  friendly  to  all  good  men.     With 


£0  ROGER  SHERMAN. 

all  his  elevation  and  all  his  honors,  he  was  not  at  all  lifted 
up,  but  appeared  perfectly  unmoved." 

"  That  he  was  generous  and  ready  to  communicate,  I 
can  testify  from  my  own  experience.  He  was  ready  to 
bear  his  part  of  the  expense  of  those  designs,  public  and 
private,  which  he  esteemed  useful ;  and  he  was  given  to 
hospitality."  What  an  example  is  here  presented  for  the 
youthful  lawyer  and  statesman.  Would  he  rise  to  the 
most  distinguished  usefulness,  would  he  bequeath  a  char- 
acter and  an  influence  to  posterity  "  above  all  Greek  or 
Roman  fame,"  let  him,  like  Roger  Sherman,  lay  the 
foundations  in  the  fear  of  God,  and  in  obedience  to  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Another  most  important  practical  lesson  which  we 
derive  from  the  life  of  Mr.  Sherman,  is  the  value  of  habits 
of  study  and  meditation.  He  was  not  only  distinguished 
for  integrity,  but  for  accurate  knowledge  of  history,  and 
of  human  nature — the  combined  fruit  of  reading  and 
reflection.  *'  He  was  capable  of  deep  and  long  investiga- 
tion. While  others,  weary  of  a  short  attention  to  business, 
were  relaxing  themselves  in  thoughtless  inattention,  or 
dissipation,  he  was  employed  in  prosecuting  the  same 
business,  either  by  revolving  it  in  his  mind,  and  ripening 
his  own  thoughts  upon  it,  or  in  conferring  with  others." 
While  laboriously  engaged  in  the  public  duties  of  his  sta- 
tion he  had,  every  day,  a  season  for  private  study  and 
meditation. 

The  testimonials  to  his  extraordinary  worth  have  been 
singularly  marked  and  unanimous. 

Among  his  correspondents  were  Drs.  Johnson,  (of  Strat- 
ford,) Edwards,  Hopkins,  Trumbull,  Presidents  Dickinson 
and  Witherspoon.  Fisher  Ames  was  accustomed  to  ex- 
press his  opinion  by  saying,  "  That  if  he  happened  to  be 
out  of  his  seat,  [in  congress,]  when  a  subject  was  dis- 


ROGER  SHERMAN.  J  J 

cussed,  and  came  in  when  the  question  was  about  to  be 
taken,  he  always  felt  safe,  in  voting  as  Mr.  Sherman  did, 
for  he  ahoays  voted  right."     Dr.  Dwight,  while  instruct- 
ing the  senior  class  at  Yale  College,  observed,  that  Mr. 
Sherman  was  remarkable  for  not  speaking  in  debate,  with- 
out suggesting  something  new  and  important.     Washing- 
ton uniformly  treated  Mr.  Sherman  with  great  respect  and 
attention.     Mr.   Macon,   a  distinguished    senator   of  the 
United  States,  once  remarked  to  the  Hon.  William  Reed, 
of  Marblehead,  that  "  Roger  Sherman  had  more  common 
sense  than  any  man  he  ever  knew."     The  late  Rev.  Dr. 
Spring,  of  Newburyport,  was  returning  from  the  south, 
while  congress  was  in  session  at  Philadelphia.     Mr.  Jef- 
ferson accompanied  him  to  the  hall,  and  designated  seve- 
ral distinguished  members  of  that  body ;  in  the  course  of 
this  polite  attention,  he  pointed  in  a  certain  direction,  and 
exclaimed,   "  That  is  Mr.   Sherman,  of  Connecticut,   a 
man   who  never   said  a   foolish   thing   in  his  life."     Mr. 
Sherman  was  never  removed  from  a  single  office,  except 
by  promotion,  or  by  act   of  the  legislature  requiring   a 
rotation,  or  rendering  the  offices  incompatible  with  each 
other.     Nor,  with  the  restrictions  alluded  to,  did  he  ever 
fail  in  his  re-election  to  any  situation,  to  which  he  had 
been  once  elected,   excepting   that  of  representative   of 
New  Haven,  in  the  legislature  of  the  State  : — which  office, 
at  that  period,  was  constantly  fluctuating. 

In  closing  this  biographical  sketch,  it  is  proper  to  add 
that  Mr.  Sherman,  in  his  person,  was  considerably  above 
the  common  stature ;  his  form  was  erect  and  well  propor- 
tioned, his  complexion  fair,  and  his  countenance  manly 
and  agreeable.  In  the  relations  of  husband,  father,  and 
friend,  he  was  uniformly  kind  and  faithful.  He  was 
naturally  modest ;  and  this  disposition,  increased,  perhaps, 
by  the  deficiencies  of  early  education,  often  wore  the 
appearance  of  bashfulness  and  reserve.     In  conversation 


13  ROGER  SHERMAN. 

relating  to  matters  of  importance,  he  was  free  and  com- 
municative. 

The  legacy,  which  Mr.  Sherman  has  bequeathed  to  his 
countrymen,  is  indeed  invaluable.  The  Romans  never 
ceased  to  mention  with  inexpressible  gratitude  the  hero- 
ism, magnanimity,  contentment,  disinterestedness,  and 
noble  public  services  of  him,  who  was  called  from  the 
plough  to  the  dictator's  chair.  His  example  was  a  light 
to  all  the  subsequent  ages.  So  among  the  galaxy  of  great 
men,  who  shine  along  the  tracts  of  our  past  history,  we 
can  scarcely  refer  to  one,  save  Washington,  whose  glory 
will  be  more  steady  and  unfading  than  that  of  Roger 
Sherman. 


HEYNE  OF  GOTTINGEN. 

Christian  Gottlob  Heyne,  a  distinguished  scholar, 
was  born  Sept.  25,  1729,  at  Chemnitz,  in  Saxony,  whither 
his  father,  a  poor  linen  weaver,  had  fled  from  Silesia  on 
account  of  religious  persecutions.  The  family  were  often 
reduced  to  the  miseries  of  the  lowest  indigence.  In  the 
Memoirs  of  his  own  life,  Heyne  says,  "  Want  was  the 
earliest  companion  of  my  childhood.  I  well  remember 
the  painful  impressions  made  on  my  mind  by  witnessing 
the  distress  of  my  mother  when  without  food  for  her 
children.  How  often  have  I  seen  her,  on  a  Saturday 
evening,  weeping  and  wringing  her  hands,  as  she  returned 
home  from  an  unsuccessful  effort  to  sell  the  goods  which 
the  daily  and  nightly  toil  of  my  father  had  manufactured." 
His  parents  sent  him  to  a  child's  school  in  the  suburbs  of 
the  small  town  of  Chemnitz.  He  soon  exhibited  an 
uncommon  desire  of  acquiring  information.  He  made  so 
rapid  a  progress  in  the  humble  branches  of  knowledge 
taught  in  the  school,  that,  before  he  had  completed  his 
tenth  year,  he  was  paying  a  portion  of  his  school  fees  by 
teaching  a  little  girl,  the  daughter  of  a  wealthy  neighbor, 
to  read  and  write.  Having  learned  everything  comprised 
in  the  usual  course  of  the  school,  he  felt  a  strong  desire  to 
learn  Latin.  A  son  of  the  schoolmaster,  who  had  studied 
at  Leipsic,  was  willing  to  teach  him  at  the  rate  of  four- 
pence  a  week ;  but  the  difficulty  of  paying  so  large  a  fee 
3 


14  PROFESSOR  HEYNE. 

seemed  quite  insurmountable.  One  day  he  was  sent  to 
his  godfather,  who  was  a  baker,  in  pretty  good  circum- 
stances, for  a  loaf.  As  he  went  along  he  pondered  sor- 
rowfully on  the  great  object  of  his  wishes,  and  entered 
the  shop  in  tears.  The  good-tempered  baker,  on  learning 
the  cause  of  his  grief,  undertook  to  pay  the  required  fee 
for  him,  at  which  Heyne  tells  us,  he  was  perfectly  intoxi- 
cated with  joy ;  and  as  he  ran,  all  ragged  and  barefoot, 
through  the  streets,  tossing  the  loaf  in  the  air,  it  slipped 
from  his  hands  and  rolled  into  the  gutter.  This  accident, 
and  a  sharp  reprimand  from  his  parents,  who  could  ill 
afford  such  a  loss,  brought  him  to  his  senses.  He  con- 
tinued his  lessons  for  about  two  years,  when  his  teacher 
acknowledged  that  he  had  taught  him  all,  which  he  him- 
self knew.  At  this  time,  his  father  was  anxious  that  he 
should  adopt  some  trade,  but  Heyne  felt  an  invincible 
desire  to  pursue  his  education.  He  had  another  godfather, 
who  was  a  clergyman,  in  the  neighborhood  ;  and  this  per- 
son, on  receiving  the  most  flattering  accounts  of  Heyne 
from  his  last  master,  agreed  to  be  at  the  expense  of  send- 
ing him  to  the  principal  seminary  of  his  native  town  of 
Chemnitz.  His  new  patron,  however,  doled  out  his 
bounty,  with  the  most  scrupulous  parsimony ;  and  Heyne, 
without  the  necessary  books  of  his  own,  was  often  obliged 
to  borrow  those  of  his  companions,  and  to  copy  them  over 
for  his  own  use.  At  last  he  obtained  the  situation  of  tutor 
to  the  son  of  one  of  the  citizens;  and  this  for  a  short  time 
rendered  his  condition  more  comfortable.  But  the  period 
was  come  when,  if  he  was  to  proceed  in  the  career  which 
he  had  chosen,  it  was  necessary  for  him  to  enter  the 
university  ;  and  he  resolved  to  go  to  Leipsic.  He  arrived, 
accordingly,  in  that  city,  with  only  about  four  shillings  in 
his  pocket,  and  nothing  more  to  depend  upon,  except  the 
small  assistance,  which  he  might  receive  from  his  god- 
father,  who  had  promised   to  continue  his  bounty.     He 


PROFESSOR  HEYNE.  15 

had  to  wait,  however,  so  long,  for  his  expected  supplies 
from  this  source,  which  came  accompanied  with  much 
grudging  and  reproach  when  they  did  make  their  appear- 
ance, that,  destitute  both  of  money  and  books,  he  would 
even  have  been  without  bread  too,  had  it  not  been  for  the 
compassion  of  the  rnaid-servant  of  the  house  where  he 
lodged.  "  What  sustained  my  courage  in  these  circum- 
stances," he  remarks,  "  was  neither  ambition,  nor  pre- 
sumption, nor  even  the  hope  of  one  day  taking  my  place 
among  the  learned.  The  stimulus,  which  incessantly 
spurred  me  on,  was  the  feeling  of  the  humiliation  of  my 
condition — the  shame  with  which  I  shrank  from  the 
thought  of  that  degradation  which  the  want  of  a  good 
education  would  impose  on  me — above  all  the  determined 
resolution  of  battling  courageously  with  fortune.  I  was 
resolved  to  try  whether,  although  she  had  thrown  me 
among  the  dust,  I  should  not  be  able  to  rise  up  by  the 
vigor  of  my  own  efforts."  His  ardor  for  study  only  grew 
the  greater  as  his  difficulties  increased.  For  six  months 
he  only  allowed  himself  two  nights'  sleep  in  the  week ; 
and  yet  all  the  while  his  godfather  scarcely  ever  wrote  to 
him  but  to  inveigh  against  his  indolence, — often  actually 
addressing  his  letters  on  the  outside  "  To  31.  Hei/ne, 
Idler,  at  Leipsic." 

In  the  mean  time,  while  his  distress  was  becoming, 
every  day,  more  intolerable,  he  was  offered  by  one  of  the 
professors,  the  situation  of  a  tutor  in  a  family  at  Magde- 
burg. Desirable  as  the  appointment  would  have  been,  in 
every  other  respect,  it  would  have  removed  him  from  the 
scene  of  his  studies,  and  he  declined  it.  He  resolved  to 
remain  in  the  midst  of  all  his  miseries  at  Leipsic.  Through 
the  favor  of  Providence,  he  was  in  a  few  weeks  recom- 
pensed for  this  sacrifice.  The  same  professor  procured 
for  him  a  situation  in  the  university  similar  to  the  one  he 
had  refused  in  Magdeburg.     This,  of  course,  relieved,  for 


16  PROFESSOR  HEYNE. 

a  time,  his  pecuniary  wants ;  but  still  the  ardor  with  which 
he  pursued  his  studies  continued  so  great,  that  at  last  it 
brought  on  a  dangerous  illness,  which  obliged  him  to 
resign  his  situation,  and  very  soon  completely  exhausted 
his  trifling  resources,  so  that  on  his  recovery  he  found 
himself  as  poor  and  destitute  as  ever.  In  this  extremity, 
a  copy  of  Latin  verses,  which  he  had  written,  having 
attracted  the  attention  of  one  of  the  Saxon  ministers,  he 
was  induced  by  the  advice  of  his  friends,  to  set  out  for 
the  court  at  Dresden,  where  it  was  expected  that  this 
patronage  would  make  his  fortune ;  but  he  was  doomed 
only  to  new  disappointments.  After  having  borrowed 
money  to  pay  the  expenses  of  his  journey,  all  he  obtained 
from  the  courtier  was  a  few  vague  promises,  which  ended 
in  nothing.  He  was  obliged,  eventually,  after  having  sold 
his  books,  to  accept  the  place  of  copyist  in  the  library  of 
the  Count  de  Bruhl,  with  the  miserable  annual  salary  of 
seventy-five  dollars.  But  he  had  not  been  idle  at  Leipsic. 
He  had  listened,  with  great  benefit,  to  the  lectures  of 
Ernesti  on  the  principles  of  interpretation ;  to  some 
valuable  archselogical  and  antiquarian  lectures  ;  and  to  the 
eloquent  disquisitions  of  Bach  on  Roman  antiquities  and 
jurisprudence.  At  Dresden,  besides  performing  the  duties 
of  his  situation,  he  found  time  to  do  a  little  work  for  the 
booksellers.  For  a  learned  and  excellent  edition  of  the 
Latin  poet,  Tibullus,  he  received  one  hundred  crowns. 
In  this  way  he  contrived  to  live,  a  few  years,  all  the  while 
studying  hard,  and  thinking  himself  amply  compensated 
for  the  hardships  of  his  lot,  by  the  opportunities  which  he 
enjoyed  of  pursuing  his  favorite  researches,  in  a  city,  so  rich 
in  collections  of  books  and  antiquities  as  Dresden.  After 
he  had  held  his  situation  in  the  library  for  above  two  years, 
his  salary  was  doubled ;  but  before  he  derived  any  benefit 
from  the  augmentation,  the  seven  years'  war  had  com- 
menced.    Saxony  was  overrun  by  the  forces  of  Frederick 


PROFESSOR  HEYNE.  17 

the  Great,  and  Heyne's  place,  and  the  library  itself  to 
which  it  was  attached,  were  swept  away  at  the  same  time. 
He  was  obliged  to  fly  from  Dresden,  and  wandered  about, 
for  a  long  time,  without  employment.  At  last  he  was 
received  into  a  family  in  Wittenberg ;  but  in  a  short  time, 
the  progress  of  the  war  drove  him  from  this  asylum,  also, 
and  he  returned  to  Dresden,  where  he  still  had  a  few 
articles  of  furniture,  which  he  had  purchased  with  the 
little  money  which  he  had  saved  while  he  held  his  place 
in  the  library.  He  arrived  just  in  time  to  witness  the 
bombardment  of  that  capital,  in  the  conflagration  of  which 
his  furniture  perished,  as  well  as  some  property  which  he 
had  brought  with  him  from  Wittenberg,  belonging  to  a 
lady,  one  of  the  family  in  whose  house  he  had  lived.  For 
this  lady  he  had  formed  an  attachment  during  his  resi- 
dence there.  Thus  left,  both  of  them  without  a  shilling, 
the  young  persons  determined  to  share  each  others'  des- 
tiny, and  they  were  accordingly  united.  By  the  exertions 
of  some  common  friends,  a  retreat  was  procured  for  Heyne 
and  his  wife  in  the  establishment  of  a  M.  de  Leoben, 
where  he  spent  some  years,  during  which  his  time  was 
chiefly  occupied  in  the  management  of  that  gentleman's 
property. 

But  Providence  was  now  about  to  visit  him  with  the 
smiles  of  prosperity.  In  1703,  he  returned  to  Dresden. 
Some  time  before  this  the  Professorship  of  Eloquence  in  the 
University  of  Gottingen  had  become  vacant  by  the  death 
of  John  Mathias  Gessner.  The  chair  had  been  offered, 
in  the  first  instance,  to  David  Ruhnken,  one  of  the  first 
scholars  of  the  age,  who  declined,  however,  to  leave  the 
University  of  Leyden,  where  he  had  lately  succeeded  the 
eminent  Hemsterhuis  as  professor  of  Greek.  But  hap- 
pily, Ruhnken  had  seen  the  edition  of  Tibullus,  and 
another  of  Epictetus,  which  Heyne  had  some  time  pre- 
viously published.  Ruhnken  ventured  to  suggest  to  the 
2* 


18  PROFESSOR  HEYNE. 

Hanoverian  minister  the  extraordinary  merits  of  Heyne, 
and  he  was  accordingly  nominated  to  the  professorship. 
He  was  soon  after  appointed  first  librarian  and  counsellor. 
To  discharge  the  functions  of  these  posts  required  the 
most  multiplied  labors.  He  says  of  himself,  with  great 
candor,  that,  "  till  he  was  professor,  he  never  learned  the 
art  it  was  his  duty  to  teach."  But  he  soon  made  himself 
at  home  in  his  new  duties.  By  his  lectures  ;  by  his  con- 
nection with  the  Royal  Society,  founded  at  Gottingen  by 
Haller  ;  by  his  indefatigable  participation  in  the  Gottingen 
Literary  Gazette  ;  by  the  direction  of  the  Philological 
Seminary,  which,  under  his  guidance,  was  a  nursery  of 
genuine  philology,  and  has  given  to  the  schools  of  Germany 
a  great  number  of  good  teachers ;  by  all  this,  together 
with  his  editions  and  commentaries  on  classic  authors, 
Heyne  has  deserved  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  teachers  and  scholars,  which  the  literary 
world  has  seen.  The  centre  of  his  activity  was  the  poetic 
department  of  classical  literature.  His  principal  work, 
which  employed  him  for  eighteen  years,  was  his  unfinished 
edition  of  Homer.  He  brought  the  library  of  Gottingen 
to  such  excellence,  that  it  is  regarded  as  the  first  in 
Europe,  because  all  the  departments  are  methodically 
filled.  Not  merely  the  fame  of  his  great  learning,  but 
the  weight  of  his  character,  and  the  propriety  and  delicacy 
of  his  deportment,  procured  him  the  acquaintance  of  the 
most  eminent  men  of  his  time.  George  Forster,  Huber, 
and  Heeren  became  his  sons-in-law.  In  dangerous  times, 
the  influence  which  he  acquired,  and  his  approved  upright- 
ness and  wisdom,  were  of  great  service  to  the  university. 
By  his  efforts  the  university  and  city  were  spared  the 
necessity  of  affording  quarters  to  the  soldiery,  while  the 
French  had  possession  of  Hanover,  from  1804  to  1805. 

An  attack  of  apoplexy  terminated  his  life,  on  the  14th 
of  July,  1802.  He  was  in  the  eighty-third  year  of 
his  age. 


STEPHEN  DUCK. 


An  uneducated  Poet. 


Stephen  Duck  was  born  at  Great  Charlton,  a  little 
village  in  Wiltshire,  England,  in  the  beginning  of  the  last 
century.  Plis  parents  were  in  the  lowest  rank  of  life ; 
and  as  it  was  his  hard  hap  to  be  complained  of  by  the  vil- 
lage school  master  for  "  taking  his  learning  too  fast,  even 
faster  than  it  could  be  bestowed  upon  him,"  his  poor 
mother  took  him  from  school  and  set  him  to  the  plough, 
"  lest  he  should  become  too  fine  a  gentleman  for  the 
family  that  produced  him."  Being  from  his  fourteenth 
year  wholly  engaged  in  the  lowest  and  hardest  employ- 
ments of  a  country  life,  Stephen  forgot  almost  all  the 
arithmetic  which  he  had  learnt  at  school,  and  this  made 
him  uneasy,  for  he  had  a  certain  longing  after  knowledge. 
But  he  had  no  time  to  spare,  no  books,  and  no  money  to 
purchase  any.  Thus  situated  he  worked  extra  hours, 
and  so  obtained  extra  payment,  which  having  so  earned 
he  might  fairly  appropriate  to  the  meritorious  object  of 
improving  himself  So  he  first  bought  a  book  of  vulgar 
arithmetic,  then  one  of  decimals,  and  a  third  upon  mensu- 
ration ;  and  these  he  studied  in  those  hours  which  could 
be  spared  from  sleep,  after  the  labors  of  the  day.  At 
length,  one  of  his  acquaintance,  who  had  been  two  or 
three  years  in  service  in  London,  came  to  reside  at  Charl- 
ton, and  brought  with  him  a  few  books,  which,  being  fond 


20  STEPHEN  DUCK. 

of  reading,  he  had  purchased  in  the  great  city.  With 
him  Stephen  became  intimate,  and  they  used  to  read 
together,  and  talk  over  the  points  which  they  were  thus 
led  to  think  on.  This  was  the  greatest  happiness  of  his 
life.  Their  minds  were  their  own,  neither  improved  nor 
spoiled  by  laying  in  a  stock  of  learning.  They  were, 
perhaps,  equally  well  inclined  to  learn;  both  struggling 
for  a  little  knowledge ;  and  like  a  couple  of  rowers  on  the 
same  bottom,  while  they  were  only  striving,  perhaps, 
which  should  outdo  his  companion,  they  were  really  each 
helping  the  other,  and  driving  the  boat  on  the  faster. 

"  Perhaps  you  would  be  willing  to  know  what  books 
their  little  library  consisted  of  Milton,  the  Spectator,  and 
Telemachus,  with  another  piece  by  the  same  hand,  (the 
Demonstration  of  the  Being  of  a  God,)  and  Addison's 
Defence  of  Christianity.  They  had  an  English  Diction- 
ary, and  a  sort  of  English  Grammar ;  an  Ovid,  of  long 
standing  with  them,  and  a  Bysshe's  Art  of  Poetry,  of  later 
acquisition  ;  Seneca's  Morals  made  the  name  of  L'Estrange 
dear  to  them ;  and,  as  I  imagine,  might  occasion  their 
getting  his  Josephus,  in  folio,  which  was  the  largest  pur- 
chase in  their  collection.  They  had  one  volume  of 
Shakespeare,  with  seven  of  his  plays  in  it.  Besides  these, 
Stephen  had  read  a  few  other  books.  Stephen,"  con- 
tinues Spence,  "  has  delighted,  as  far  back  as  I  can 
remember,  in  verses,  and  in  singing.  He  speaks  of 
strange  emotions  that  he  has  felt  on  the  top-performances 
of  the  little  choir  of  songsters  in  a  country  chancel ;  and 
mentions  of  his  first  hearing  of  an  organ  as  a  remarkable 
epocha  in  his  life." 

Paradise  Lost  carried  with  it  no  doubt  a  strong  recom- 
mendation in  its  subject,  but  it  perplexed  him,  and  he 
read  it  twice  or  thrice  with  a  dictionary,  studying  it  as  a 
studious  youth  goes  through  a  Greek  or  Latin  author. 
The  Spectator,  too,  which  he  said  improved  his  under- 


STEPHEN  DUCK.  21 

Standing  more  than  anything,  taught  him  to  appreciate 
some  of  the  merits  of  that  poem,  and  Spence  says  he 
could  point  out  particular  beauties,  which  required  a 
"good  keen  eye  to  discover."  He  frequently  took  a 
volume  of  the  Spectator  with  him  to  his  work,  and  labored 
harder  than  any  one  else,  like  a  man  engaged  to  work  by 
the  piece,  that  he  might  honestly  get  half  an  hour,  for 
reading  one  of  the  numbers ;  but  by  sitting  down  at  such 
times  incautiously,  in  the  sweat  of  his  brow,  he  injured 
his  health.  He  now  began  to  write  verses,  when  a  young 
Oxonian,  Stanley  by  name,  sent  for  him,  and  was  so  well 
satisfied  with  his  conversation,  as  to  desire  that  he  would 
write  to  him  a  letter  in  verse.  This  accordingly  Stephen 
did,  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  Stanley.  He  soon  after 
composed  "The  Thresher's  Labor,"  which  is  written  with 
great  fidelity,  and  many  passages  with  considerable  power. 
He  began  now  to  be  so  much  talked  of,  that  some  knavish 
bookseller  issued,  for  his  own  advantage,  a  collection  of 
his  verses,  with  what  Stephen  calls  a  very  false  account  of 
the  author,  and  a  fictitious  portrait  of  him,  wherein  he  is 
represented  with  Milton  in  one  hand,  and  a  flail  in  the 
other,  coming  from  the  barn  towards  a  table,  on  which 
pen,  ink,  and  paper  are  lying ;  pigs,  poultry,  and  reapers 
making  up  the  rural  accompaniments.  But  the  Thresh- 
er's Labor  had  found  its  way  to  the  Hon.  Mrs.  Clayton,  a 
lady,  who  was  about  the  queen's  person  ;  she  showed  it  to 
the  queen,  and  Caroline,  with  characteristic  goodness, 
patronized  the  humble  poet.  He  was  invited  to  Windsor, 
by  her  desire,  that  he  might  be  introduced  to  her;  she 
settled  thirty  pounds  a  year  upon  him,  made  him  one  of 
the  yeomen  of  the  guards,  and  soon  afterwards  gave  him 
the  appointment  of  keeper  of  her  select  library,  at  Rich- 
mond, where  he  had  apartments  assigned  to  him,  and  was 
encouraged  to  pursue  his  studies  so  as  to  qualify  himself 
for  ordination  in  the  Established  Church.     A  volume  of 


23  STEPHEN  DUCK. 

his  verses  was  now  published  by  subscription.  Having 
obtained  orders,  he  was  preferred  to  the  living  of  Byfleet, 
in  Surrey.  His  character,  his  inclination,  and  his  abilities 
were  alike  suited  to  that  way  of  life ;  and  he  is  said  to 
have  been  much  followed  as  a  preacher,  not  only  while 
novelty  and  his  reputation  were  likely  to  attract  congrega- 
tions, but  as  long  as  he  lived. 

His  end  was  an  unhappy  one  ;  he  became  insane,  threw 
himself  into  the  water,  near  Reading,  in  1756,  and  was 
drowned. 


JOHN  JONES. 

In  18*27,  the  poet  laureate,  Robert  Southey,  while 
visiting  with  his  family  the  springs  at  Harrowgate,  Eng- 
land, received  a  letter  from  an  individual,  who  signed 
himself  John  Jones.  In  this  letter  he  says  that  he  is  a 
poor,  humble,  uneducated  domestic,  who  having  strung 
together  a  few  pieces  in  verse,  would  be  happy  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  poet's  opinion  of  them.  The  following  lines 
were  sent  as  a  specimen. 

THE  RED-BREAST. 

Sweet  social  bird  with  breast  of  red, 
How  prone  's  my  heart  to  favor  thee  ! 

Thy  look  oblique,  thy  prying  head, 
Thy  gentle  affability. 

Thy  cheerful  song  in  winter's  cold, 

And,  when  no  other  lay  is  heard, 
Thy  visits  paid  to  young  and  old, 

Where  fear  appals  each  other  bird. 

Thy  friendly  heart,  thy  nature  mild, 

Thy  meekness  and  docility, 
Creep  to  the  love  of  man  and  child, 

And  win  thine  own  felicity. 


24  JOHN  JONES. 

The  gleanings  of  the  sumptuous  board, 
Conveyed  by  some  indulgent  fair, 

Are  in  a  nook  of  safety  stored. 

And  not  dispensed  till  thou  art  there. 

In  stately  hall,  and  rustic  dome. 
The  gaily  robed  and  homely  poor. 

Will  watch  the  hour  when  thou  shalt  come. 
And  bid  thee  welcome  to  the  door. 

The  herdsman  on  the  upland  hill. 
The  ploughman  in  the  hamlet  near, 

Are  prone  thy  little  paunch  to  fill, 
And  pleased  thy  little  psalm  to  hear. 

The  woodman  seated  on  a  log, 

His  meal  divides  atween  the  three. 

And  now  himself  and  now  his  dog. 
And  now  he  casts  a  crumb  to  thee. 

For  thee  a  feast  the  school-boy  strews. 
At  noontide,  when  the  form's  forsook  ; 

A  worm  to  thee  the  delver  throws, 
And  angler,  when  he  baits  his  hook. 

At  tents,  where  tawny  gipsies  dwell, 
In  woods  where  hunters  chase  the  hind. 

And  at  the  hermit's  lonely  cell. 

Dost  thou  some  crumbs  of  comfort  find. 

Nor  are  thy  little  wants  forgot. 
In  beggar's  hut  or  Crispin's  stall ; 

The  miser  only  feeds  thee  not, 
Who  suffers  ne'er  a  crumb  to  fall. 

The  youth,  who  strays  with  dark  design, 
To  make  each  well-stored  nest  a  prey, 

If  dusky  hues  denote  them  thine. 
Will  draw  his  pilfering  hand  away. 


JOHN  JONES.  25 

The  finch  a  spangled  robe  may  wear, 

The  nightingale  delightful  sing, 
The  lark  ascend  most  high  in  air, 

The  swallow  fly  most  swift  on  wing. 

The  peacock's  plumes  in  pride  may  swell, 

The  parrot  prate  eternally, 
But  yet  no  bird  man  loves  so  well, 

As  thou  with  thy  simplicity. 

Southey  read  this  poem  to  his  party.  They  were 
pleased  with  the  natural  images  and  the  natural  feelings, 
which  they  exhibit,  and  a  favorable  answer  was  returned. 
The  manuscripts  of  the  poet  were  soon  sent  to  Mr. 
Southey,  from  which  he  has  published  selections. 

John  Jones  was  born  in  1774,  in  Newland,  Gloucester- 
shire. His  father  was  a  gardener.  His  mother  kept  a 
small  shop  in  the  village.  John  learnt  his  letters  of  an  old 
woman.  The  only  person  in  the  village  who  taught 
writing  at  that  time,  was  an  old  man,  by  trade  a  stone 
cutter,  and  he  only  on  winter  evenings,  after  his  return 
from  his  daily  labor.  "  To  him,"  says  John,  ''  I  went  the 
best  part  of  two  winters,  and  that  was  the  finishing  of  my 
education.  At  the  age  of  ten  I  was  engaged  to  drive 
plough  at  the  'squire's  and  at  different  places,  and  con- 
tinued that  kind  of  employment  for  four  years ;  and  up  to 
this  period,  I  do  not  recollect  to  have  read  in  any  book 
but  the  Psalter  and  Testament,  and  sometimes  a  chapter 
in  the  Bible,  by  reading  verses  alternately  with  other  boys. 
I  was  very  fond  of  reading  stories,  and  was  often  affected 
to  tears  by  them.  In  a  family  in  which  I  was  a  servant, 
for  some  years,  I  had  to  lay  the  cloth  for  dinner,  and  to 
place  everything  in  readiness  by  the  time  my  master  came 
home ;  this  I  used  to  do  an  hour  or  two  before  the  neces- 
sary time,  for  there  was  a  book-case  in  the  dining-room, 
which  was  left  open,  and  by  this  means  I  was  enabled  to 
3 


26  JOHN  JONES. 

spend  many  a  delightful  hour  at  it.  When  I  could  not 
be  in  the  dining-room,  I  read  in  the  Bible  below  stairs, 
and,  I  believe,  went  regularly  through  it ;  but  the  history 
of  Joseph,  Ruth,  and  some  other  parts,  pleasing  me  most, 
I  read  those  passages  many  times  over.  I  have  seldom 
sat  down  to  study  anything,  for  in  many  instances  when 
I  have  done  so,  a  ring  at  the  bell,  or  a  knock  at  the  door, 
or  something  or  other,  would  disturb  me,  and  not  wishing 
to  be  seen,  I  used  frequently  either  to  crumple  my  paper 
up  in  my  pocket,  or  take  the  trouble  to  lock  it  up,  and  be- 
fore I  could  arrange  it  again,  I  was  often  again  disturbed ; 
from  this  I  got  into  the  habit  of  trusting  entirely  to  my 
memory,  and  most  of  my  little  pieces  have  been  completed 
and  borne  in  mind  for  weeks  before  I  have  committed 
them  to  paper  ;  from  this  I  am  led  to  believe  that  there 
are  but  few  situations  in  life  in  which  attempts  of  the  kind 
may  not  be  made  under  less  discouraging  circumstances. 
It  affords  me  some  little  gratification  to  think  that  in  the 
few  families  I  have  served,  I  have  lived  respected,  for  in 
none  do  I  remember  of  ever  having  been  accused  of  an 
immoral  action,  nor,  with  all  my  propensity  to  rhyme, 
have  I  been  charged  with  a  neglect  of  duty." 


WILLIAM  WHIPPLE. 

The  father  of  Whipple  was  a  native  of  Ipswich,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  was  bred  a  maltster.  He  was  also,  for  some 
time,  engaged  in  sea-faring  pursuits.  He  married  Mary, 
the  eldest  daughter  of  Robert  Cutt.  She  was  a  lady  of 
excellent  sense,  and  of  many  pleasing  accomplishments. 
William  Whipple  was  born  in  Kittery,  Maine,  in  the 
year  1730.  He  received  his  education  in  one  of  the  public 
schools  in  that  town,  where  he  was  taught  reading,  writing, 
arithmetic,  and  navigation.  When  this  deficient  course 
of  education  was  completed,  he  left  school,  and  immedi- 
ately embarked  on  board  of  a  merchant  vessel,  for  the 
purpose  of  commencing  his  destined  profession  as  a  sailor. 
Before  he  was  twenty-one  years  of  age,  he  obtained  the  com- 
mand of  a  vessel,  and  performed  a  number  of  voyages 
to  Europe,  and  the  West  Indies.  He  was  afterwards  en- 
gaged in  the  infamous  slave  traffic.  This  circumstance  in 
his  life  admits  of  no  justification.  The  fact  that  good  men 
formerly  participated  in  it,  only  proves  how  much  avarice 
hardens  the  human  heart,  and  sears  the  natural  conscience. 
In  1759,  Mr.  Whipple  abandoned  the  sea,  and  engaged 
in  mercantile  business  for  some  time,  with  his  brother 
Joseph.  He  married  his  cousin,  Catharine  Moffat,  daugh- 
ter of  John  Moffat,  Esq.  a  merchant  of  Portsmouth.  At 
an  early  period  of  the  revolutionary  contest,  Mr.  Whipple 


28  WILLIAM  WtllPPLE. 

took  a  decided  part  in  favor  of  the  colonies,  and  in  oppo- 
sition to  the  claims  of  the  parent  country.     So  much  con- 
fidence was  placed  in   his  integrity  and  firmness,  that  his 
fellow  citizens  frequently  placed  him  in  highly  important 
offices.     In  January,    1775,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the 
representatives  of  Portsmouth,  to  the  provincial  congress, 
which  met  at  Exeter.     By  that  body  he  was  elected  one 
of  the  provincial  committee  of  safety.     In  1776,  he   was 
chosen  a  delegate  to  the  General  Congress,  which  met  at 
Philadelphia.     He  continued  to  be  re-elected  for  the  three 
following  years.     This  appointment  gave  Mr.  Whipple  the 
opportunity  to  record  his  name  among  the  memorable  list 
of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.     The 
cabin  boy,  who,  thirty  years  before  had  looked  forward  to 
the   command  of  a  vessel,   as  the  consummation  of  his 
hopes,  now  stood  among  a  band  of  patriots,  more  illustrious 
than  any  which  the   world  had  yet  seen.     He  was  consid- 
ered a  very  useful  and  active  member.     In  the  business  of 
committees  he  displayed  a  most  commendable   degree  of 
perseverance,  ability,  and  application.      In  1777,  when 
Burgoyne  was  rapidly  advancing  from  Canada,  the  assem- 
bly of  New  Hampshire  was  convened,  and  more  decisive 
measures   were    adopted  to  defend   the    country.      Two 
brigades  were  formed  ;  the  command  of  one  of  which  was 
given  to  Gen.  Stark,  and  of  the  other  to  Whipple.     Whip- 
ple was  present  with  his  brigade  at  the  battles  of  Stillwater 
and  Saratoga.     He  was  one  of  the  commissioners  appoint- 
ed by  Gates  to  treat  with  Burgoyne,   and   was  afterwards 
selected  to  conduct  the  British  troops  to  Boston. 

He  was  accompanied  on  this  expedition  by  a  negro  ser- 
vant named  Prince,  whom  he  had  imported  from  Africa. 
On  his  way  to  the  army,  he  told  his  servant  that  if  they 
should  be  called  into  action,  he  expected  that  he  would  be- 
have like  a  man  of  courage.  Prince  replied,  "  Sir,  I  have 
no  inducement  to  fight ;   but  if  I  had  ray  liberty  I  would 


WILLIAM  WHIPPLE.  29 

endeavor  to  defend  it  to  the  last  drop  of  my  blood."  The 
general  emancipated  him  upon  the  spot.  In  1778,  he 
accompanied  Gen.  Sullivan  in  his  expedition  to  Rhode 
Island.  For  more  than  two  years  he  was  receiver  of 
finance,  a  most  arduous  and  responsible  office  under 
Robert  Morris.  About  this  period,  Gen.  Whipple  began 
to  be  afflicted  with  severe  strictures  in  the  breast,  which 
compelled  him  to  decline  any  further  military  command. 
In  1782,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  judges  of  the  supe- 
rior court  of  New  Hampshire,  in  which  office  he  continued 
till  his  death.  In  November,  1785,  he  expired,  in  conse- 
quence of  an  ossification  of  the  heart.  He  was  in  the 
fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

On  the  whole,  he  seems  to  have  been  a  very  useful 
man  in  a  period  abounding  in  distinguished  talent. 
The  variety  of  offices  which  he  filled  with  propriety  and 
ability,  is  not  a  little  remarkable.  Master  of  a  vessel — 
merchant — leader  of  militia-men — an  interpreter  of  the 
old  confederation  and  of  the  laws  of  his  native  State,  and 
a  committee-man  in  congress.  He  had  but  little  education 
in  the  schools.  He  taught  7ii?nsclf.  His  powers  of 
observation  on  men  and  things,  were  turned  to  the  best 
account.  In  his  manners,  Gen.  Whipple  was  courteous 
and  affable,  and  he  appears  to  have  possessed  an  estimable 
character  for  integrity,  and  general  morality. 


ELI  WHITNEY 


Mr.  Whitney  is  well  known  as  the  inventor  of  the 
machine  for  cleansing  upland  cotton  from  its  seeds — a 
machine,  which  has  accomplished  a  great  revolution  in  the 
agriculture  and  commerce  of  the  United  States.  Before 
the  invention  of  this  machine,  the  seeds  of  the  upland  cot- 
ton were  picked  out  with  the  hand  ;  and  to  cleanse  a  pound 
was  esteemed  a  laborious  day's  work.  Upland  cotton  was 
not,  therefore,  cultivated  for  exportation.  This  machine 
enables  one  person  to  cleanse  one  thousand  pounds,  in  a 
day,  with  great  ease.  The  consequence  has  been  that 
the  cultivation  of  cotton  has  been  introduced  into  all  the 
southern  States.  In  1790,  the  quantity  exported  from 
the  United  States  was  only  100,000  pounds.  In  1829, 
the  value  of  the  exports  in  cotton  was  $22,487,229. 
Cotton  is  now  the  staple  production  of  the  United  States. 
If  we  should  look  at  these  facts  in  their  bearing  on  the 
value  of  lands  and  slaves  in  the  southern  States,  upon  our 
rank  as  a  maritime  nation,  upon  the  amount  of  the  national 
revenue,  and  upon  the  various  interests  connected  with 
them,  perhaps  it  would  appear  that  no  invention  ever  pro- 
duced such  an  astonishing  change.  A  judge  of  the 
supreme  court  of  the  United  States  declared  on  the  bench, 
that  the  benefit  derived  from  Mr.  Whitney's  invention  is 
to  be  estimated  only  by  hundreds  of  millions  of  dollars. 


ELI  WHITNEY.  31 

When  we  look  at  the  fact  that  the  culture  of  the  cotton 
plant  will  occupy  vast  regions,  on  this,  and  on  other  conti- 
nents, where  it  has  not  yet  been  introduced ,  it  will  appear  that 
Mr.  Whitney  was  a  distinguished  benefactor  of  mankind, 
and  that  his  name  will  be  honorably  associated  with  those 
of  Watt,  Arkwright,  Fulton,  and  Davy. 

He  was  distinguished  on  all  occasions  for  his  inventive 
genius.  He  established  a  manufactory  of  fire-arms,  near 
the  boundary  of  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  when  he  himself 
had  no  experience  in  the  business,  and  when  all  the  work- 
men employed  in  the  art  were  wholly  unacquainted  with 
it ;  none  of  them  ever  having  wrought  at  any  branch  of 
the  business.  Under  these  circumstances,  says  Dr. 
Dwight,  he  was  necessitated  to  adopt  methods  of  his  own ; 
and,  as  skilful  artists  were  not  to  be  obtained,  to  devise  a 
system,  in  which  the  more  faithful  and  correct  operations 
of  machinery  should  supply  the  want  of  experience  in  the 
workmen.  Hence  modes  of  working  iron,  steel,  and  other 
metals,  have  been  introduced,  which  are  new  and  peculiar, 
and  which  have  been  found  to  be  practically  and  eminently 
useful.  Although  his  manufactory  was  a  private  concern, 
he  enjoyed  for  twenty-six  years,  the  uniform  patronage  of 
the  national  government,  as  well  as  several  of  the  indivi- 
dual States.  Everything  was  planned  and  executed  upon 
the  strictest  principles  of  mathematical  and  mechanical 
science. 

Though  Mr.  Whitney  had  a  public  education  in  Yale 
College,  yet  his  eminent  usefulness  is  to  be  mainly 
attributed  to  his  own  unwearied  industry  and  unconquer- 
able energy. 

Most  happily  also,  in  all  the  relations  of  life  he  was  an 
eminent  pattern  for  imitation.  In  the  community  to  which 
he  belonged,  he  scarcely  left  behind  him  an  individual 
more  admired  and  beloved.  He  was  ever  active  in  pro- 
moting learning  and  the  arts,  and  in  forwarding  every  ob- 


32  ELI  WHITNEY. 

ject  which  Avas  calculated  to  benefit  or  adorn  society.  In 
the  full  maturity  of  his  powers,  Mr.  Whitney  was  cut  olF 
on  the  8th  of  January,  1825,  at  New  Haven,  Ct.  aged 
60.  He  endured  the  disorders  of  the  dreadful  disease, 
which  terminated  his  life,  with  astonishing  fortitude  and 
equanimity.  He  gave  himself  to  his  Maker,  with  unre- 
served confidence,  committing  to  his  care  those  who  were 
dear  to  him  as  his  own  life,  trusting  for  pardon  and 
acceptance  in  the  merits  and  sacrifice  of  the  Great  Re- 
deemer. 


AL.EXANDER  MURRAY. 

Alexander  Murray,  was  born  in  the  parish  of  Min- 
nigaff,  in  the  shire  of  Kircudbright,  Scotland,  on  the 
twenty-second  of  October,  1775.  His  father  was,  at  tliis 
time,  nearly  seventy  years  of  age,  and  had  been  a  shepherd 
all  his  life,  as  his  own  father,  and  probably  his  ancestors, 
for  many  generations  had  been.  Alexander's  mother, 
was  also  the  daughter  of  a  shepherd,  and  was  the  old 
man's  second  wife  ;  several  sons,  whom  he  had  by  a 
former  marriage,  being  all  brought  up  to  the  same  primi- 
tive occupation.  His  father  died  in  1797,  at  the  age  of 
ninety-one.  He  seems  to  have  been  possessed  of  con- 
siderable natural  sagacity,  and  of  some  learning. 

Alexander  received  his  first  lessons  in  reading,  from  his 
father.  "  The  old  man,"  he  tells  us,  "  bought  him  a 
catechism,  (which,  in  Scotland,  is  generally  printed  with 
a  copy  of  the  alphabet  in  large  type  prefixed  ;)  but  as  it 
was  too  good  a  book,  for  me  to  handle,  at  all  times,  it  was 
generally  locked  up,  and  my  father,  throughout  the  winter, 
drew  the  figures  of  the  letters  to  me,  in  his  icrittcn  hand, 
on  the  board  of  an  old  icool  card,  with  the  black  end  of 
an  extinguished  heather  stem  or  root  snatched  from  the 
fire.  I  soon  learned  all  the  alphabet  in  this  form,  and 
became  writer  as  well  as  reader.  I  wrought  with  the 
board  and  brand  continually.    Then  the  catechism  was  pre- 


34  ALEXANDER  MURRAY.     ' 

sented,  and  in  a  month  or  two,  I  could  read  the  easier  parts 
of  it.  I  daily  amused  myself  with  copying,  as  above,  the 
printed  letters.  In  May,  1782,  my  father  gave  me  a  small 
psalm  book,  for  which  I  totally  abandoned  the  catechism. 
I  soon  got  many  psalms  by  memory,  and  longed  for  a  new 
book.  Here  difficulties  rose.  The  Bible,  used  every  night 
in  the  family,  I  was  not  permitted  to  touch.  The  rest  of 
the  books  were  put  up  in  chests.  I  at  length  got  a  New 
Testament,  and  read  the  historical  parts  with  great 
curiosity  and  ardor.  But  I  longed  to  read  the  Bible, 
Vv'hich  seemed  to  me  a  much  more  pleasant  book  ;  and  I 
actually  went  to  a  place  where  I  knew  an  old  loose- 
leaved  Bible  lay,  and  carried  it  away  in  piece-meal.  I 
perfectly  remember  the  strange  pleasure  I  felt  in  reading 
the  histories  of  Abraham  and  David.  I  liked  mournful 
narratives ;  and  greatly  admired  Jeremiah,  Ezekiel,  and 
the  Lamentations.  I  pored  on  these  pieces  of  the  Bible 
in  secret  for  many  months,  but  I  durst  not  show  them 
openly :  and  as  I  read  constantly  and  remembered  well,  I 
soon  astonished  all  our  honest  neighbors  with  the  large 
passages  of  Scripture,  which  I  repeated  before  them.  I 
have  forgot  too  much  of  my  biblical  knowledge,  but  I  can 
still  rehearse  all  the  names  of  the  patriarchs  from  Adam 
to  Christ,  and  various  other  narratives  seldom  committed 
to  memory." 

His  father's  whole  property  consisted  only  of  two  or 
three  scores  of  sheep,  and  four  muirland  cows.  ''  He  had 
no  debts  and  no  money."  As  all  his  other  sons  were 
shepherds,  it  was  with  him  a  matter  of  course  that  Alex- 
ander should  be  brought  up  the  same  way ;  and  accordingly 
as  soon  as  he  had  strength  for  anything,  that  is,  when  he 
was  about  seven  or  eight  years  of  age,  he  was  sent  to  the 
hills  with  the  sheep.  He  however  gave  no  promise  of 
being  a  good  shepherd,  and  he  was  often  blamed  by  his 
father  as  lazy  and  useless.     He  was  not  stout,  and  he  was 


ALEXANDER  MURRAY.  35 

near-sighted,  which  his  father  did  not  know.  "  Besides," 
says  he,  *'  I  was  sedentary,  indolent,  and  given  to  books 
and  writing  on  boards  with  coals."  But  his  father  was 
too  poor  to  send  him  to  school,  his  attendance  upon  which, 
indeed,  was  scarcely  practicable,  unless  he  boarded  in 
the  village,  from  which  their  cottage  was  five  or  six  miles 
distant.  About  this  time  a  brother  of  his  mother's,  who 
had  made  a  little  money,  came  to  pay  them  a  visit  ;  and 
hearing  such  accounts  of  the  genius  of  his  nephew,  whose 
fame  was  now  the  discourse  of  the  whole  glen,  offered  to 
be  at  the  expense  of  boarding  him  for  a  short  time  in  New 
Galloway,  and  keeping  him  at  school  there.  As  he  tells 
us  himself,  he  made  at  first,  a  somewhat  awkward  figure 
on  this  new  scene.  "  My  pronunciation  was  laughed  at, 
and  my  whole  speech  was  a  subject  of  fun.  But  I  soon 
gained  impudence ;  and  before  vacation  in  August,  I 
often  stood  dux  of  the  Bible  class.  I  was  in  the  mean 
time  taught  to  write  copies,  and  use  paper  and  ink.  But 
I  both  wrote  and  printed,  that  is,  imitated  printed  letters, 
when  out  of  school." 

His  attendance  at  school,  however,  had  scarcely  lasted 
for  three  months,  when  he  fell  into  bad  health,  and  was 
obliged  to  return  home.  For  nearly  five  years  after  this, 
he  was  left  again  to  be  his  own  instructer,  with  no  assist- 
ance whatever  from  any  one.  He  soon  recovered  his 
health,  but  during  the  long  period  we  have  mentioned, 
he  looked  in  vain  for  the  means  of  again  pursuing  his 
studies  under  the  advantages  which  he  had  for  a  short 
time  enjoyed.  As  soon  as  he  became  sufficiently  well,  he 
was  put  to  his  old  employment  of  assisting  the  rest  of  the 
family  as  a  shepherd-boy.  '^  I  was  still,"  says  he,  "  at- 
tached to  reading,  printing  of  words,  and  getting  by  heart, 
ballads,  of  which  I  procured  several. 

About  this  time  and  for  years  after,  I  spent  every  six- 
pence, that  friends  or  strangers  gave  me,  on  ballads  and 


36  ALEXANDER  MURRAY. 

penny  histories.  I  carried  bundles  of  these  in  my  pockets, 
and  read  them  when  sent  to  look  for  cattle  on  the  banks 
of  Loche  Greanoch,  and  on  the  wild  hills  in  its  neighbor- 
hood." And  thus  passed  away  about  three  years  of  his  life. 
All  this  time  the  Bible  and  these  ballads  seem  to  have 
formed  almost  his  only  reading  ;  yet  even  with  this  scanty 
library  he  contrived  to  acquire,  among  the  simple  inhabi- 
tants of  the  glen,  a  reputation  for  unrivalled  erudition. 
*'  My  fame  for  reading  and  a  memory,  was  loud,  and  seve- 
ral said  that  I  was  a  '  living  miracle.'  I  puzzled  the 
honest  elders  of  the  church  with  recitals  of  Scripture,  and 
discourses  about  Jerusalem,  &c."  Towards  the  close  of 
the  year  1787,  he  borrowed  from  a  friend  L'Estrange's 
translation  of  Josephus,  and  Salmon's  Geographical  Gram- 
mar. This  last  work  had  no  little  share  in  directing  the 
studies  of  his  future  life.  ''  I  got  immense  benefit  from 
Salmon's  book.  It  gave  me  an  idea  of  geography  and 
universal  history,  and  I  actually  recollect  at  this  time 
almost  everything  which  it  contains." 

A  grammar  of  geography  was  almost  the  first  thing 
which  James  Ferguson  studied  ;  although  the  minds  of 
the  two  students,  differing  as  they  did  in  original  charac- 
ter, were  attracted  by  different  parts  of  their  common 
manual ;  the  one  pondering  its  description  of  the  artificial 
sphere,  the  other  musing  over  its  accounts  of  foreign 
lands,  and  of  the  history  and  languages  of  nations  inhab- 
iting them.  Murray,  however,  learned  also  to  copy  the 
maps  which  he  found  in  the  book ;  and,  indeed,  carried 
the  study  of  practical  geography  so  far,  as  to  make  similar 
delineations  of  his  native  glen,  and  its  neighborhood. 

He  was  now  twelve  years  of  age  ;  and  as  there  seemed 
to  be  no  likelihood  that  he  would  ever  be  able  to  gain  his 
bread  as  a  shepherd,  his  parents  were  probably  anxious 
that  he  should  attempt  something  in  another  way  to  help 
to  maintain  himself. 


ALEXANDER  MURRAY.  37 

Accordingly,  in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1787,  he 
engaged  as  teacher  in  the  families  of  two  of  the  neighbor- 
ing farmers  ;  for  his  services  in  which  capacity,  through- 
out the  winter,  he  was  remunerated  with  the  sum  of  six- 
teen shillings  !  He  had  probably,  however,  his  board  free 
in  addition  to  his  salary,  of  which  he  immediately  laid  out 
a  part  in  the  purchase  of  books.  One  of  these  was  Cock- 
er's arithmetic,  "  the  plainest,"  says  he,  "  of  all  books, 
from  which,  in  two  or  three  months,  I  learned  the  four 
principal  rules  of  arithmetic,  and  even  advanced  to  the 
Rule  of  Three,  with  no  additional  assistance,  except  the 
use  of  an  old  copy-book  of  examples  made  by  some  boy  at 
school,  and  a  few  verbal  directions  from  my  brother  Rob- 
ert, the  only  one  of  all  my  father's  sons,  by  his  first  mar- 
riage, that  remained  with  us."  He  borrowed,  about  the 
same  time,  some  old  magazine  from  a  country  acquain- 
tance. "  My  memory  now,"  says  he,  "  contained  a  very 
large  mass  of  historical  facts  and  ballad  poetry,  which  I 
repeated  with  pleasure  to  myself,  and  the  astonished  ap- 
probation of  the  peasants  around  me." 

At  last,  his  father  having  been  employed  to  herd  on 
another  farm,  which  brought  them  nearer  the  village, 
Alexander  was  once  more  permitted  to  go  to  school  at 
Minnigaff,  for  three  days  in  the  week.  "  I  made  the 
most,"  says  he,  "  of  these  days  ;  I  came  about  an  hour 
before  the  school  met ;  I  pored  on  my  arithmetic  in  which 
I  am  still  a  proficient ;  and  I  regularly  opened  and  read 
all  the  English  books,  such  as  the  *  Spectator,'  '  World,' 
&/C.  brought  by  the  children  to  school.  I  seldom  joined 
in  any  play  at  the  usual  hours,  but  read  constantly." 
This  second  period  of  his  attendance  at  school,  however, 
did  not  last  so  long  as  the  former.  It  terminated  at  the 
autumn  vacation,  that  is  to  say,  in  about  six  weeks.  In 
1790,  he  again  attended  school,  during  summer,  for  about 
three  months  and  a  half.  It  seems  to  have  been  about 
4 


3S  ALEXANDER  MURRAY. 

this  time  that  his  taste  for  learning  foreign  languages  first 
began  to  develope  itself,  having  been  excited  by  the  study 
of  Salmon's  Geography.  "  I  had,"  he  writes,  "  in  1787, 
and  1788,  often  admired  and  mused  on  the  specimens 
of  the  Lord's  Prayer,  in  every  language,  found  in  Salmon's 
Grammar.  I  had  read  in  the  magazines  and  Spectator, 
that  Homer,  Virgil,  Milton,  Shakespeare  and  Newton,  were 
the  greatest  of  mankind.  I  had  been  early  informed,  by 
some  elders,  and  good  religious  people,  that  Hebrew  was 
the  first  language.  In  1789,  at  Drigmore,  an  old  woman, 
who  lived  near,  showed  me  her  Psalm-book,  which  was 
printed  with  a  large  type,  had  notes  on  each  page,  and, 
likewise,  what  I  discovered  to  be  the  Hebrew  alphabet, 
marked,  letter  after  letter,  in  the  ]  19th  Psalm.  I  took 
a  copy  of  these  letters,  by  printing  them  off  in  my  old  way, 
and  kept  them."  Meantime,  as  he  still  entertained  the 
notion  of  going  out  as  a  clerk  to  the  West  Indies,  he  took 
advantage  of  a  few  leisure  weeks  to  begin  the  study  of 
the  French  language.  He  used  to  remain  in  school,  dur- 
ing the  middle  of  the  day,  while  his  companions  were  at 
play,  and  compare  together  the  dijEferent  grammars  used 
in  the  class. 

**  About  the  15th  of  June,"  says  he,  *'  Kerr,  one  of  my 
class  fellows,  told  me  that  he  had  once  learned  Latin  for 
a  fortnight,  but  had  not  liked  it,  and  still  had  the  Rudi- 
ments beside  him.  I  said,  Do  lend  me  them.  I  wish  to 
see  what  the  nouns  and  verbs  are  like,  and  whether  they 
resemble  our  French.  He  gave  me  the  book.  I  exam- 
ined it  for  four  or  five  days,  and  found  that  the  nouns  had 
changes  on  the  last  syllables,  and  looked  very  singular. 
I  used  to  repeat  a  lesson  from  the  French  Rudiments  every 
forenoon  in  school.  On  the  morning  of  the  midsummer 
fair  of  Newton  Stewart,  I  set  out  for  school,  and  acciden- 
tally put  into  my  pocket  the  Latin  Grammar  instead  of  the 
French  Rudiments.     On  an  ordinary  day,  Mr.  Cramond 


ALEXANDER  MURRAY.  39 

would  have  chid  me  for  this  ;  but  on  that  festive  morning 
he  was  melloio^  and  in  excellent  spirits — a  state  not  good 
for  a  teacher,  but  always  desired  in  him  by  me,  for  then 
he  was  very  communicative.  With  great  glee,  he  replied, 
when  I  told  him  my  mistake  and  showed  him  the 
Rudiments,  '  'Gad,  Sandy,  I  shall  try  thee  with  Latin  ;' 
and  accordingly  read  over  to  me  no  less  than  two  of  the 
declensions.  It  was  his  custom  with  me  to  permit  me  to 
get  as  long  lessons  as  I  pleased,  and  never  to  fetter  me 
by  joining  me  to  a  class.  There  was,  at  that  time,  in  the 
school,  a  class  of  four  boys,  advanced  as  far  as  the  pro- 
nouns in  Latin  Grammar.  They  ridiculed  my  separated 
condition.  But  before  the  vacation  in  August,  I  had 
reached  the  end  of  the  Rudiments,  knew  a  good  deal 
more  than  they,  by  reading  at  home  the  notes  on  the  foot 
of  each  page,  and  was  so  greatly  improved  in  French, 
that  I  could  read  almost  any  French  book  at  opening  of 
it.  I  compared  French  and  Latin,  and  riveted  the  words 
of  both  in  my  memory  by  this  practice.  When  proceeding 
with  the  Latin  verbs,  I  often  sat  in  the  school  all  mid-day, 
and  pored  on  the  page  of  Robert  Cooper's  (another  of  his 
schoolfellows)  Greek  Grammar — the  only  one  I  had  ever 
seen.  He  was  then  reading  Livy,  and  learning  Greek. 
By  help  of  his  book  I  mastered  the  letters,  but  I  saw  the 
sense  of  the  Latin  rules,  in  a  very  indistinct  manner. 
Some  boy  lent  me  an  old  Corderius,  and  a  friend  made 
me  a  present  of  Eutropius.  There  was  a  copy  of  Eutro- 
pius  in  the  school,  which  had  a  literal  translation.  I 
studied  this  last  with  great  attention,  and  compared  the 
English  and  Latin.  When  my  lesson  was  prepared,  I 
always  made  an  excursion  into  the  rest  of  every  book  ; 
and  my  books  were  not  like  those  of  other  schoolboys, 
opened  only  in  one  place,  and  where  the  lesson  lay." 

All   this  was  the  work  of  about  two  months  and  a  half 
before  the  vacation  and  a  fortnight  after  it.     During  the 


40  ALEXANDER  MURRAY. 

winter  he  employed  every  spare  moment  in  pondering  upon 
some  Latin  books.  "I  literally  read,"  says  he,  "  Ains- 
worth's  Dictionary  throughout.  My  method  was  to  re- 
volve the  leaves  of  the  letter  A,  to  notice  all  the  principal 
words  and  their  Greek  synonymes,  not  omitting  a  glance 
at  the  Hebrew  ;  to  do  the  same  by  B,  and  so  on  through 
the  book.  I  then  returned  from  X  and  Z,  to  A  ;  and  in 
these  winter  months  I  amassed  a  large  stock  of  Latin  and 
Greek  vocables.  From  this  exercise  I  took  to  Eutropius, 
Ovid,  and  Caesar,  or  at  times,  to  Ruddiman's  Grammar. 
Here  I  got  another  book,  which  from  that  time  has  influ- 
enced and  inflamed  my  imagination.  This  was  Paradise 
Lost,  of  which  I  had  heard,  and  which  I  was  eager  to  see. 
I  cannot  describe  the  ardor,  or  various  feelings,  with 
which  I  read,  studied,  and  admired  this  Jirst-rate  work. 
I  found  it  as  difficult  to  understand  as  Latin,  and  soon 
saw  that  it  required  to  be  parsed^  like  that  language.  I 
account  my  first  acquaintance  with  Paradise  Lost  an  era 
in  my  reading."  The  next  summer  was  spent  still  more 
laboriously  than  the  preceding.  He  again  attended 
school,  where  he  found  a  class  reading  Ovid,  Caesar,  and 
Virgil.  "  I  laughed,"  says  he,  "  at  the  difficulty  with 
which  they  prepared  their  lessons ;  and  often  obliged 
them  by  reading  them  over  to  assist  the  work  of  prepa- 
ration." He  employed  his  time  at  home  in  almost  inces- 
sant study.  "My  practice  was,"  he  remarks,  "  to  lay 
down  a  new  and  difficult  book  after  it  had  wearied  me  ; 
to  take  up  another,  then  a  third,  and  to  resume  this  rota- 
tion frequently  and  laboriously.  I  always  strove  to  seize 
the  sense ;  but  when  I  supposed  that  1  had  succeeded,  I 
did  not  weary  myself  with  analyzing  every  sentence." 
Having  introduced  himself  to  Mr.  Maitland,  the  clergyman 
of  the  parish,  by  writing  letters  to  him  in  Latin  and  Greek, 
he  obtained  from  that  gentleman  a  number  of  classical 
books,  which  he  read  with  great  diligence.     He  was  soon 


ALEXANDER  MURRAY.  41 

SO  privileged  as  to  obtain  a  copy  of  a  Hebrew  Grammar, 
and  of  the  Hebrew  Bible.  "  I  made  good  use,"  says  he, 
"of  this  loan  ;  I  read  the  Bible  throughout,  and  many 
passages  and  books  of  it  a  number  of  times."  It  would 
appear,  that  he  had  actually  made  himself  familiar,  and 
that  chiefly  by  his  own  unassisted  exertions,  with  the 
French,  Latin,  Greek,  and  Hebrew  languages,  and  perused 
several  of  the  principal  authors  in  all  of  them,  \vithin  about 
a  year  and  a  half  from  the  time  when  they  were  all  en- 
tirely unknown  to  him  ;  for  it  was  at  the  end  of  May,  1790, 
that  he  commenced,  as  we  have  seen,  the  study  of  French  ; 
and  all  this  work  had  been  done  by  the  end  of  November, 
in  the  year  following.  There  is  not,  perhaps,  on  record, 
a  more  extraordinary  instance  of  youthful  ardor  and  per- 
severance. It  may  serve  to  show  what  is  possible  to  be 
accomplished. 

He  was  again  engaged  in  teaching  during  the  winter, 
and  received,  as  he  states,  for  his  labors,  about  thirty-five 
or  forty  shillings.  Every  spare  hour  was  devoted  to  the 
study  of  Latin,  Greek,  Hebrew,  and  French.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1792,  he  returned  to  school,  for  the  last  time.  The 
different  periods  of  his  school  attendance,  added  together, 
make  about  thirteen  months,  scattered  over  the  space  of 
nearly  eight  years.  Having  obtained  a  copy  of  Bailey's 
Dictionary,  he  found  in  it  the  Anglo-Saxon  alphabet,  and 
many  words  in  the  same  dialect.  This  was  his  introduc- 
tion to  the  study  of  the  northern  languages.  He  also 
made  himself  acquainted  with  many  Welsh  phrases,  from 
a  small  religious  treatise  in  the  language,  without  any  dic- 
tionary or  grammar.  This  was  done  by  minute  observa- 
tion and  comparison  of  words,  terminations,  and  phrases. 
He  also  made  himself  acquainted  with  the  Arabic,  and 
Abyssinian  alphabets.  He  was  also  guilty  of  writing 
several  thousand  lines  of  an  epic  poem,  *'  which  was 
not  without  obligations  to  Ossian,  Milton,  and  Homer." 
4*  ' 


42  ALEXANDER  MURRAY, 

Before  he  completed  the  seventh  book,  he  threw  the  un- 
finished epic  into  the  fire. 

Murray  was  now  in  his  nineteenth  year.  His  most  in- 
timate school  companion  had  gone  to  the  university,  for 
which,  no  doubt,  Murray  felt  that  he  was  far  better  quali- 
fied, if  his  utter  want  of  resources  had  not  opposed  an  in- 
surmountable barrier.  He  had  happened  to  purchase  a 
volume  of  the  manuscript  lectures  of  a  German  professor, 
on  Roman  literature,  written  in  Latin.  Having  trans- 
lated these  lectures,  he  carried  his  translation  to  Dumfries, 
but  neither  of  the  two  booksellers  would  print  them.  He 
then  concluded  to  print  some  poems  by  subscription. 
From  this  design  he  was  fortunately  induced  to  depart,  by 
the  advice  of  the  celebrated  Robert  Burns.  "  Burns," 
says  he,  "  treated  me  with  great  kindness,  and  told  me  if 
I  could  get  out  to  college  without  publishing  my  poems, 
it  would  be  much  better,  as  my  taste  was  young,  and  not 
formed,  and  I  should  be  ashamed  of  my  productions,  when 
I  could  write  and  judge  better." 

It  so  happened,  that  there  was,  in  the  neighborhood,  an 
itinerant  tea-merchant,  by  the  name  of  M'Harg,  who  knew 
Murray  well,  and  had  formed  so  high  an  idea  of  his  genius 
and  learning,  that  he  was  in  the  habit  of  sounding  his 
fame  wherever  he  went.  Among  others  to  whom  he  spoke 
of  him,  was  Mr.  James  Kinnear,  of  Edinburgh,  then  a 
journeyman  printer  in  the  king's  printing  office.  Mr. 
Kinnear,  with  a  zeal  which  does  him  great  credit,  imme- 
diately suggested  that  Murray  should  transmit  an  account 
of  himself,  and  some  evidences  of  his  attainments,  to  Edin- 
burgh, which  he  undertook  to  lay  before  some  of  the 
literary  men  of  that  city.  This  plan  was  adopted  ;  Murray 
was  examined  by  the  Principal,  and  several  of  the  Profes- 
sors. He  so  surprised  them  by  the  extent  and  accuracy  of 
his  acquaintance  with  the  languages,  that  measures  for  his 
admission  to  the  university,  and   his  maintenance,  were 


ALEXANDER  MURRAY.  43 

immediately  taken.  These  arrangements  were  principally 
effected  by  the  exertions  of  Principal  Baird.  His  ardent 
and  most  efficient  patronage  of  one,  thus  recommended  to 
him  only  by  his  deserts,  and  his  need  of  patronage,  entitles 
him  to  the  lasting  gratitude  of  all  the  friends  of  learning. 
Murray  was,  indeed,  soon  able  to  support  himself  All 
his  difficulties  may  be  said  to  have  been  over  as  soon  as 
he  found  his  way  to  the  university. 

For  the  next  ten  or  twelve  years  of  his  life,  he  resided 
principally  at  Edinburgh.  No  man,  that  ever  lived,  proba- 
bly, not  excepting  Sir  William  Jones  himself,  has  'prose- 
cuted the  study  of  languages  to  such  an  extent  as  Murray. 
By  the  end  of  his  short  life,  scarcely  one  of  the  oriental 
or  northern  tongues  remained  uninvestigated  by  him,  so 
far  as  any  sources  for  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  them  were 
accessible.  Of  the  six  or  seven  dialects  of  the  Abyssinian 
or  Ethiopic  language,  in  particular,  he  made  himself  much 
more  completely  master,  than  any  European  had  been 
before.  This  led  to  his  being  selected  by  the  booksellers, 
in  1802,  to  prepare  an  edition  of  Bruce's  Travels,  which 
appeared  in  1S05,  in  seven  volumes  octavo,  and  at  once 
placed  him  in  the  first  rank  of  the  oriental  scholars  of  the 
age.  In  1806,  he  left  Edinburgh,  in  order  to  officiate  as 
clergyman  in  the  parish  of  Urr,  in  Dumfrieshire.  All  his 
leisure  moments  were  devoted  to  the  composition  of  his 
stupendous  work  on  the  languages  of  Europe. 

In  1812,  the  professorship  of  oriental  languages  in  the 
university  of  Edinburgh,  became  vacant.  Mr.  Murray's 
friends  immediately  seized  the  opportunity  of  endeavoring 
to  obtain  for  him  the  situation,  of  all  others,  which  he 
seemed  destined  to  fill.  The  contest  was  eventually  car- 
ried on  between  Murray  and  a  single  opponent.  The 
result  was  very  doubtful,  as  the  election  depended  on  the 
town  council,  a  corporate  body  of  thirty-three  individuals. 
Extraordinary  exertions  were  made  by  the  friends  of  both 


44  ALEXANDER  MURRAY. 

candidates.  Mr.  Salt,  the  distinguished  ofientalist,  stated 
that  Mr.  Murray  was  the  only  man  in  the  British  Domin- 
ions, in  his  opinion,  capable  of  translating  an  Ethiopic 
letter,  which  he  had  brought  into  the  country.  Among 
those  who  exerted  themselves  in  his  behalf,  were  Dr.  James 
Gregory,  Professors  Leslie,  Playfair,  Dugald  Stewart,  Mr. 
Jeffrey,  Sir  Walter  Scott,  &c.  Well  was  Mr.  Murray 
entitled  to  say,  before  he  learnt  the  result  of  the  election, 
*'  If  the  efforts  of  my  friends  have  been  exerted  for  an  un- 
successful candidate,  they  will  not  be  forgotten,  for  we 
have  perished  in  light."  He  was  elected  by  a  majority  of 
two  votes.  On  the  31st  of  October,  Mr.  Murray  entered 
on  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  though  alas,  near  the  grave. 
His  excessive  labors  had  prostrated  his  strength.  On  the 
13th  of  April  he  retired  to  the  bed  from  which  he  never 
rose  ;  before  the  close  of  another  day,  he  was  among  the 
dead.     He  was  in  the  thirty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 

His  History  of  European  Languages,  though  left  by  him 
in  a  very  imperfect  state,  is  still  a  splendid  monument  of 
his  ingenuity  and  erudition. 


STEPHEN  HOPKINS, 


Stephen  Hopkins  was  born  in  that  part  of  the  then 
town  of  Providence,  R.  I.,  which  now  forms  the  town  of 
Scituate,  on  the  seventh  of  March,  1707.  His  great- 
grandfather, Thomas  Hopkins,  was  one  of  the  primitive 
settlers  of  Providence.  With  the  first  dawnings  of  active 
hfe,  Stephen  Hopkins  was  esteemed  for  his  worth,  and  his 
regular  and  useful  habits.  As  an  evidence  of  the  propriety 
of  his  conduct  when  only  nineteen  years  of  age,  his  father 
gave  him  a  deed  of  gift  for  seventy  acres  of  land,  and  his 
grandfather  bestowed  on  his  •'  loving  grandson,"  an  addi- 
tional tract  of  ninety  acres.  He  received  nothing  more 
than  a  plain  country  education,  by  which  he  acquired  an 
excellent  knowledge  of  penmanship,  and  became  conversant 
in  the  practical  branches  of  the  mathematics,  particularly 
surveying.  Being  the  son  of  a  farmer,  he  continued  the 
occupation  of  his  father,  after  the  death  of  the  latter,  and, 
in  1731,  increased  his  estate  in  Scituate,  by  the  purchase 
of  adjoining  lands.  He  continued  this  mode  of  life  until 
his  removal  to  Providence,  in  1748,  when  he  sold  his 
farm,  and  built  a  mansion  in  that  town,  in  which  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  until  his  death. 

In  March,  1731-2,  Mr.  Hopkins  made  his  first  appear- 
ance in  the  public  service  in  the  humble  station  of  town- 
clerk  of  Scituate,  from  which  he  rose  through  almost  every 


46  STEPHEN  HOPKINS. 

gradation  of  office  to  the  highest  dignity  of  the  State.  In 
May,  1739,  he  was  appointed  chief  justice  of  the  court  of 
common  pleas.  He  was  extensively  employed,  till  an 
advanced  age,  in  the  business  of  surveying  lands.  The 
nicety  of  his  calculations  is  attested  by  the  following  cir- 
cumstances. In  taking  the  survey  of  a  tract  of  land,  he 
passed  over  a  plain  thickly  set  with  shrubbery.  Soon  after, 
he  found  that  his  watch,  which  cost  twenty-five  guineas 
in  London,  was  missing.  Supposing  that  the  chain  had 
become  entangled  in  the  bushes,  and  the  watch  thereby 
pulled  from  his  pocket,  he  set  the  course  back,  and  found 
it  hanging  on  a  bush. 

In  May,  1751,  he  was  appointed,  for  the  fourteenth 
time,  a  representative  in  the  assembly.  In  May,  1756, 
he  was  chosen  Governor  of  the  State,  and  continued  to 
occupy  this  station,  at  intervals,  for  seven  years. 

In  1767,  when  the  politics  of  the  colony  were  carried 
to  a  great  excess,  Mr.  Hopkins  magnanimously  retired 
from  his  office,  and  a  third  person  was  elected.  By  this 
measure  harmony  was,  in  a  great  degree,  restored. 

When  the  difficulties  between  the  colonies  and  Great 
Britain  began  to  grow  alarming.  Gov.  Hopkins  took  an 
active,  early,  and  determined  part  in  favor  of  the  colonies. 
In  August,  1774,  in  connection  with  the  Hon.  Samuel 
Ward,  he  was  appointed  to  represent  Rhode  Island,  in 
the  general  congress. 

In  the  same  year,  Mr.  Hopkins  was  a  member  of  the 
assembly  of  the  State.  Principally  by  his  influence  and 
exertions,  an  act  was  passed,  prohibiting  the  importation 
of  negroes  into  the  colony.  In  the  year  before,  he  eman- 
cipated a  number  of  people  of  color,  whom  he  had  held 
as  slaves. 

In  May,  1776,  Mr.  Hopkins  was,  for  the  third  time, 
elected  to  congress.  His  name  is  attached  to  the  Decla- 
ration of  Independence.     Plis  signature  indicates,  on  the 


STEPHEN  HOPKINS.  47 

parchment,  a  very  tremulous  hand,  and  is  in  perfect  con- 
trast to  that  of  the  President,  John  Hancock  ;  this  was 
caused  by  a  nervous  affection,  with  which  he  had  been 
for  many  years  afflicted,  and  which  compelled  him,  when 
he  wrote  at  all,  to  guide  his  right  hand  with  his  left.  He 
discharged  his  public  duties  with  great  ability  and  faithful- 
ness. Mr.  Hopkins  was  one  of  those  strong-minded  men, 
who,  by  indefatigable  personal  effort,  overcome  the  defi- 
ciencies of  early  education.  A  common  country  school, 
at  that  period,  afforded  little  more  than  a  knowledge  of 
reading  and  writing.  Upon  this  foundation,  Mr.  Hopkins 
established  a  character  for  literature.  It  is  stated  that  he 
perused  the  whole  of  the  great  collection  of  ancient  and 
modern  history,  compiled  about  a  half  century  since,  by 
some  distinguished  scholars  in  Europe,  and  that  he  also 
read  Thurtow's  collection  of  State  Papers.  As  an  instance 
of  the  retentiveness  of  his  memory,  it  is  mentioned  that 
Mr.  Hopkins,  on  one  occasion,  sat  down  and  made  out  his 
account,  as  the  owner  of  a  vessel,  without  any  reference 
whatever  to  his  books,  though  many  small  items  were 
necessarily  included.  He  was  esteemed  as  an  excellent 
mathematician.  He  was  one  of  the  principal  observers, 
on  the  celebrated  transit  of  Venus,  over  the  Sun's  disc,  in 
June,  1769.  He  was  a  member  of  the  American  Philo- 
sophical Society,  and,  for  many  years,  chancellor  of  the 
College  of  Rhode  Island. 

In  his  personal  and  domestic  character,  he  was  an  em-' 
inent  pattern  of  kindness  and  affability.  A  visit,  which 
Gen.  Washington  made,  unattended,  to  Gov.  Hopkins,  is 
stated,  by  a  living  witness,  to  have  strongly  exhibited  the 
simple,  easy,  and  artless  manners  of  those  illustrious  men. 
Mr.  Hopkins  died  calmly,  on  the  13th  of  July,  1785,  in 
the  79th  year  of  his  age. 


PROFESSOR  L.EE, 


Of  the  attainments  and  character  of  this  extraordinary 
man,  we  can  furnish  but  a  very  imperfect  outline.  Even 
the  year  of  his  birth  we  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain. 
His  native  place  is  Longnor,  a  small  village,  eight  miles 
from  Shrewsbury,  England.  The  only  education  which 
he  received  was  that  of  a  village  school,  where  nothing 
more  was  taught  than  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic. 
This  school  he  left  at  twelve  years  of  age,  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter  and  builder,  under  the  care  of  an  in- 
genious and  respectable  relative,  Mr.  Alderman  Lee,  of 
Shrewsbury.  Here  he  underwent  great  hardships.  It 
was  not  till  he  was  about  seventeen  years  of  age  that  he 
first  conceived  the  idea  of  studying  a  foreign  language. 
His  application  to  the  Latin  tongue,  the  first  which  he 
acquired,  originated  in  his  inability  to  understand  that 
language,  as  quoted  in  English  authors.  Poverty  ob- 
structed his  progress,  but  did  not  prevent  it.  A  thirst  for 
information  created  economy  ;  and  out  of  the  scanty  pit- 
tance of  his  weekly  earnings,  he  purchased,  at  a  book 
stall,  a  volume,  which,  when  read,  was  exchanged  for 
another;  and,  so  by  degrees,  he  advanced  in  knowledge. 
Oppressed  with  cares,  without  any  living  assistant  what- 
ever, without  much  stimulus  either  from  hope  or  fear, 
seeking  concealment  rather  than  the  smile  of  approbation, 


PROFESSOR  LEE.  49 

and  very  scantily  supplied  with  the  necessary  materials, 
he  still  pressed  on  in  his  course.  He  had  not  the  privilege 
of  balancing  between  reading  and  relaxation:  he  had  to 
pass  from  bodily  fatigue  to  mental  exertion.  During  six 
years,  previous  to  his  twenty-fifth  year,  he  omitted  none  of 
the  hours  usually  appropriated  to  manual  labor  ;  he  retired 
to  rest,  regularly,  at  10  o'clock  at  night.  He  also  suf- 
fered, during  this  time,  from  a  disorder  in  his  eyes.  As 
his  wages  increased,  and  thereby  his  abilities  to  make 
larger  purchases,  he  attended  to  the  Greek,  Hebrew, 
Chaldee,  and  Syriac  tongues.  The  loss,  by  fire,  of  the 
tools  of  his  trade,  blasted  his  earthly  prospects  in  that 
direction,  and  led  him  to  consider  how  far  his  literary 
acquirements  might  be  employed  for  the  support  of  him- 
self, and  of  the  partner,  whom  he  had  recently  married. 
His  situation  being  made  known  to  the  Reverend  Arch- 
deacon Corbett,  of  Shrevv^sbury,  that  liberal  and  enlight- 
ened clergyman  afforded  him,  not  only  immediate  aid,  but 
a  happier  introduction  to  his  favorite  pursuits.  He  now 
exchanged  his  carpenter's  shop  for  the  superintendency  of 
a  charity  school.  Here,  however,  his  hours  were  not 
much  more  at  his  own  disposal.  It  was  about  this  time 
that  that  well  known  and  highly  respected  oriental  scholar, 
Dr.  Jonathan  Scott,  Persian  Secretary  to  Hastings, 
Governor  General  of  India,  furnished  Mr.  Lee  with  an 
Arabic  Grammar,  and  he  had  then,  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life,  the  pleasure  of  conversing  upon  the  study  in  which 
he  was  engaged ;  and  it  is  to  this  auspicious  circumstance, 
improved,  as  it  was,  by  the  wonderful  proficiency  of  ]Mr. 
Lee,  on  the  one  hand,  (for  in  a  few  months,  he  was  capa- 
ble of  reading,  writing,  and  composing  in  both  Arabic  and 
Persic,)  and  to  the  unremitting  kindness  of  Dr.  Scott,  on 
the  other,  that  we  may  attribute  Mr.  Lee's  subsequent 
engagement  with  the  Church  Missionary  Society,  as 
Orientalist,  his  admission  at  dueen's  College,  Cambridge, 
5 


50  PROFESSOR   LEE. 

and  his  ordination  as  a  minister  of  the  Established  Church. 
At  the  age  of  thirty-one  years,  fourteeen  from  the  time  he 
had  opened  a  Latin  Grammar,  he  had  actually  himself 
taught  seventeen  different  languages  ;  viz.  Latin,  Greek, 
Hebrew,  Chaldee,  Syriac,  Samaritan,  Arabic,  Persic, 
Hindostanee,  French,  German,  Italian,  Ethiopic,  Coptic, 
Malay,  Sanscrit,  and  Bengalee.  When  Mr.  Lee  entered 
at  Cambridge,  he  was  unacquainted  with  the  mathematics; 
but  in  one  fortnight,  he  qualified  himself  to  attend  a  class 
which  had  gone  through  several  books  in  Euclid ;  and  he 
soon  after  discovered  an  error,  in  the  Spherical  Trigonom- 
etry, usually  bound  up  with  Simpson's  Euclid,  the  four- 
teenth proposition  of  which  Mr.  Lee  disproved.  Simpson's 
Edition  of  Euclid  is  a  text  book  at  both  Universities,  and 
is  the  only  one  usually  put  into  the  hands  of  students,  and 
to  which  the  lectures  of  the  tutors  apply.  Before  he  went 
to  college  he  was  conversant  with  the  works  of  Plato, 
had  made  translations  into  English  blank  verse  from  the 
works  of  Boethius  ;  and  he  went  through  the  Golden 
Verses,  bearing  the  name  of  Pythagoras.  He  contented 
himself  with  a  competent  knowledge  of  mathematics,  lest 
further  attention  to  that  seducing  science  should  interfere 
with  those  studies  in  which  the  highest  interests  of  man- 
kind are  involved.  He  has  exhibited  a  most  laudable 
desire  to  know  the  word  of  God  himself,  and  to  impart 
it  to  others.  The  following  are  some  of  his  efforts  for  the 
spiritual  good  of  mankind. 

The  Syriac  New  Testament,  edited  by  Mr.  Lee,  and 
published,  is  not  a  continuation  of  that  begun  by  Dr. 
Buchanan ;  but  an  entire  new  work,  for  which  Mr.  Lee 
collated  three  ancient  Syrian  MSS.,  the  Syrian  Commen- 
tary of  Syrius,  and  the  texts  of  Ridley,  Jones,  and  Wet- 
stein. 

An  edition  of  the    Malay  New  Testament,   from  the 


PROFESSOR  LEE.  51 

Dutch  edition  of  1733  ;    the  Old   Testament  has  since 
been  published. 

An  enlarged  and  corrected  edition  of  Mr.  Martyn's 
Hindostanee  Prayer  Book,  in  conjunction  with  Mr. 
Corrie. 

A  Tract  translated  into  Persian  and  Arabic,  and 
printed,  entitled  *'  The  way  of  Truth  and  Life,"  for  the 
use  of  Mohammedans. 

A  Malay  Tract,  for  the  London  Missionary  Society ; 
and  some  Tracts  in  Hindostanee,  for  the  Society  for 
instructing  the  Lascars. 

A  Tract  in  Arabic,  on  the  new  system  of  education, 
written  by  Dr.  Bell,  and  first  translated  by  Michael  Sabag, 
for  the  Baron  de  Sacy  of  Paris. 

Dr.  Scott  having  translated  the  service  for  Christmas 
day  from  the  Prayer  Book  of  the  Church  of  England,  into 
Persic,  Mr.  Lee  has  added  to  it  the  rest  of  the  Liturgy. 

A  new  Translation  of  the  Old  Testament  into  Persian, 
in  conjunction  with  Mirza  Khaleel. 

An  Hindostanee  New  Testament. 

He  was  some  time  since  preparing  an  Ethiopic  Bible 
and  other  works.  Mr.  Lee  has  also  made  a  new  fount  of 
letter  for  Hindostanee  and  Persian  printing  ;  and  a  new 
fount  for  an  edition  of  the  Syriac  Old  Testament,  for 
which  he  collated  nine  ancient  MSS.  and  one  ancient 
commentary.  He  has  also  published  in  Persian  and  Eng- 
lish the  whole  controversy  of  Mr.  Martyn  with  the  Per- 
sian literati,  with  considerable  additions  of  his  own. 

On  a  certain  occasion,  a  Memoir  of  Mr.  Henry  Kirke 
White  was  lent  to  him ;  Mr.  Lee  returned  it  shortly  after 
with  a  Latin  Poem  in  praise  of  Mr.  White,  a  dialogue  in 
Greek  on  the  Christian  religion,  and  a  pious  effusion  in 
Hebrew  ;  all  compiled  by  himself,  when  he  was  upon  per- 


52  PROFESSOR  LEE. 

manent  duty  as  a  member  of  the  local  militia  for  the 
county.  He  taught  himself  to  play  upon  the  flute,  with 
almost  intuitive  readiness.  When  the  Shrewsbury  volun- 
teers were  raised,  he  qualified  himself,  with  almost  equal 
readiness,  to  be  one  of  their  military  band,  all  which  time 
he  was  a  member  of  a  ringing  society,  and  also  gave  lec- 
tures upon  Gothic  architecture.  He  was  no  sooner  in 
holy  orders  than  he  accepted  invitations  to  preach  to  the 
largest  congregations.  He  manifested  in  the  pulpit  the 
ease  and  self-possession  of  one  long  used  to  the  station. 
Notwithstanding  these  high  attainments,  he  is  a  very 
humble  and  unassuming  man.  The  resources  of  his 
mind  are  unapparent  till  called  out.  He  does  not  seek 
refined  society,  but  mingles  in  it,  when  invited,  without 
effort  or  embarrassment;  and  without  losing  any  of  his 
humility,  sustains  his  place  in  it  with  ease  and  inde- 
pendence. His  sermons  are  said  to  exhibit  an  air  of 
logical  dryness,  unfavorable  to  the  unction  which  should 
pervade  pulpit  exercises. 

Sometime  in  the  year  1819,  on  the  resignation  of  Rev. 
J.  Palmer,  Mr.  Lee  was  elected  Professor  of  Arabic  in 
the  University  of  Cambridge,  and  not  having  been  at  col- 
lege the  usual  time  for  taking  the  degree  requisite  to 
standing  for  the  chair,  a  grace  passed  the  senate  of  the 
University  to  supplicate  for  a  mandamus,  which  was 
granted  by  his  Majesty.  Most  honorable  and  ample  testi- 
monials were  given  by  Lord  Teignmouth,  Dr.  Scott, 
Mohammed  Sheeraz,  a  learned  Persian,  Alexander  Nicol, 
librarian  of  the  Bodleian  library,  Oxford,  Mirza  Khaleel, 
a  learned  Persian,  Dr.  Wilkins,  of  the  East  India-house 
Library,  and  others.  Mr,  Lee  has  lately  been  chosen  to 
succeed  Dr.  Lloyd,  as  Regius  Professor  of  Hebrew  at 
Cambridge.  He  has  published  one  edition  of  an  Hebrew 
Grammar,  and  has  another  in  the  press,  as  also  an  Hebrew 


PROFESSOR  LEE.  53 

Lexicon.  A  work  on  the  interpretation  of  Scripture  gene- 
rally, and  of  prophecy  in  particular,  has  lately  appeared 
from  his  pen.  He  has  issued  a  prospectus  of  an  extensive 
course  of  lectures  on  Hebrew  Literature  and  Philology. 


5* 


WILLIAM  GIFFORD. 

William  Gifford  was  born  in  Ashburton,  Devonshire, 
England,  in  April,  1757.  His  father  was  a  seaman,  and 
was,  for  some  time,  engaged  in  the  service  of  his  country, 
as  the  second  in  command  of  a  large  armed  transport. 
His  manner  of  life  was  very  dissipated.  An  attempt  to 
excite  a  riot  in  a  Methodist  chapel  was  the  occasion  of 
his  being  compelled  to  flee  from  the  country.  His  mother 
was  the  daughter  of  a  carpenter.  Her  resources  were 
very  scanty.  They  arose  from  the  rent  of  three  or  four 
small  fields,  which  had  belonged  to  her  husband's  father. 
*'  With  these,  however,"  says  Gifford,  "  she  did  what  she 
could  for  me  ;  and  as  soon  as  I  was  old  enough  to  be 
trusted  out  of  her  sight,  sent  me  to  a  schoolmistress  of 
the  name  of  Parret,  from  whom,  in  due  time,  I  learned  to 
read.  I  cannot  boast  much  of  my  acquisitions  at  this 
school ;  they  consisted  merely  of  the  contents  of  the 
'  Child's  Spelling  Book  ;'  but  from  my  mother,  who  had 
stored  up  the  literature  of  a  country  town,  which  about 
half  a  century  ago,  amounted  to  little  more  than  what  was 
disseminated  by  itinerant  ballad  singers,  or  rather  readers, 
I  had  acquired  much  curious  knowledge  of  Catskin,  and 
the  Golden  Bull,  and  the  Bloody  Gardener,  and  many 
other  histories  equally  instructive  and  amusing."  Young 
Gifford's    father   returned   from  sea  in   1764.      He   had 


WILLIAM  GIFFORD.  55 

acquired  considerable  property,  but  his  habits  of  dissipation 
were  such  that  he  soon  lost  nearly  the  whole  of  it.  He 
commenced  business  as  a  glazier  and  house-painter.  Wil- 
liam, now  about  eight  years  old,  was  put  to  a  free  school,  to 
learn  to  read  and  write  and  cypher.  Here  he  continued 
three  years,  "  making  most  wretched  progress,"  when  his 
father  fell  sick  and  died.  He  died  of  a  ruined  constitution, 
induced  by  habits  of  drinking.  Unfortunately,  the  mother 
of  William,  in  order  to  support  her  two  children,  deter- 
mined to  prosecute  her  husband's  business ;  for  which 
purpose  she  engaged  a  couple  of  journeymen,  who,  finding 
her  ignorant  of  every  part  of  it,  wasted  her  property  and 
embezzled  her  money.  What  the  consequence  of  this 
double  fraud  would  have  been,  there  is  no  opportunity  of 
knowing,  as,  in  somewhat  less  than  a  twelvemonth,  she 
followed  her  husband  to  the  grave.  *'  She  was,"  says  her 
affectionate  son,  "  an  excellent  woman,  bore  my  father's 
infirmities  with  patience  and  good  humor,  loved  her  chil- 
dren dearly,  and  died  at  last,  exhausted  with  anxiety  and 
grief,  more  on  their  account  than  on  her  own." 

"  I  was  not  quite  thirteen  when  this  happened  ;  my  little 
brother  was  hardly  two ;  and  we  had  not  a  relation  nor  a 
friend  in  the  world."  His  brother  was  now  sent  to  the 
work-house,  and  he  was  himself  taken  home  to  the  house 
of  a  person  named  Carlile,  who  was  his  godfather,  and 
had  seized  upon  whatever  his  mother  had  left,  under  the 
pretence  of  repaying  himself  for  money  which  he  had  ad- 
vanced to  her.  By  this  person,  William,  who  had  before 
learned  reading,  writing,  and  a  little  arithmetic,  was  sent 
again  to  school,  and  was  beginning  to  make  considerable 
progress  in  the  last  branch  of  study ;  but  in  about  three 
months  his  patron  grew  tired  of  the  expense,  and  took 
him  home  with  the  view  of  employing  him  as  a  ploughboy. 
An  injury,  however,  which  he  had  received  some  years 
before,  on  his  breast,  was  found  to  unfit  him  for  this  species 


56  WILLIAM  GIFFORD. 

of  labor ;  and  it  was  next  resolved  that  he  should  be  sent 
out  to  Newfoundland,  to  assist  in  a  storehouse.  But  upon 
being  presented  to  the  person  who  had  agreed  to  fit  him 
out,  he  was  declared  to  be  *'  too  small" — and  this  scheme 
had  also  to  be  abandoned.  "  My  godfather,"  says  he, 
"  had  now  humbler  views  for  me,  and  I  had  little  heart 
to  resist  anything.  He  proposed  to  send  me  on  board 
one  of  the  Torbay  fishing  boats.  I  ventured,  how- 
ever, to  remonstrate  against  this,  and  the  matter  was 
compromised,  by  my  consenting  to  go  on  board  a  coaster. 
A  coaster  was  speedily  found  for  me  at  Brixham,  and 
thither  I  went,  when  a  little  more  than  thirteen," 

In  this  vessel  he  remained  for  nearly  a  twelvemonth. 
"  It  will  be  easily  conceived,"  he  remarks,  "  that  my  life 
was  a  life  of  hardship.  I  was  not  only  a  ship-boy  on  the 
'  high  and  giddy  mast,'  but  also  in  the  cabin,  where  every 
menial  office  fell  to  my  lot ;  yet,  if  I  was  restless  and  dis- 
contented, I  can  safely  say  it  was  not  so  much  on  account 
of  this,  as  of  my  being  precluded  from  all  possibility  of 
reading  ;  as  my  master  did  not  possess,  nor  do  I  recollect 
seeing,  during  the  whole  time  of  my  abode  with  him,  a 
single  book  of  any  description,  except  the  '  Coasting  Pilot.'  " 

While  in  this  humble  situation,  however,  and  seeming 
to  himself  almost  an  outcast  from  the  world,  he  was  not 
altoo-ether  forgotten.  He  had  broken  off  all  connection 
with  Ashburton,  and  where  his  godfather  lived  ;  but  the 
'*  women  of  Brixham,"  says  he,  "  who  travelled  to  Ash- 
burton twice  a  week  with  fish,  and  who  had  known  my 
parents,  did  not  see  me  without  kind  concern,  running 
about  the  beach  in  a  ragged  jacket  and  trowsers."  They 
often  mentioned  him  to  their  acquaintances  at  Ashburton, 
and  the  tale  excited  so  much  commiseration  in  the  place, 
that  his  godfather  at  last  found  himself  obliged  to  send 
for  him  home.  At  this  time  he  wanted  some  months  of 
fourteen. 


WILLIAM  GIFFORD.  57 

''  After  the  holidays,"  continues  the  narrative,  "  I  re- 
turned to  my  darling  pursuit — arithmetic  ;  my  progress 
was  now  so  rapid,  that  in  a  few  months  I  was  at  the  head 
of  the  school,  and  qualified  to  assist  my  master,  Mr.  E. 
Furlong,  on  any  extraordinary  occasion.  As  he  usually 
gave  me  a  trifle,  at  such  times,  it  raised  a  thought  in  me 
that,  by  engaging  with  him  as  a  regular  assistant,  and  un- 
dertaking the  instruction  of  a  few  evening  scholars,  I  might, 
with  a  little  additional  aid,  be  enabled  to  support  myself. 
I  had  besides  another  object  in  view.  Mr.  Hugh  Smerdon, 
my  first  master,  was  now  grown  old  and  infirm  ;  it  seemed 
unlikely  that  he  should  hold  out  above  three  or  four  years ; 
and  I  fondly  flattered  myself  that,  notwithstanding  my 
youth,  I  might  possibly  be  appointed  to  succeed  him.  I 
was  in  my  fifteenth  year  when  I  built  these  castles;  a  storm, 
however,  was  collecting,  which  unexpectedly  burst  upon 
me,  and  swept  them  all  away. 

"  On  mentioning  my  little  plan  to  Carlile,  he  treated  it 
with  the  utmost  contempt ;  and  told  me,  in  his  turn,  that, 
as  I  had  learned  enough,  and  more  than  enough  at  school, 
he  must  be  considered  as  having  fairly  discharged  his 
duty  (so  indeed  he  had) ;  he  added,  that  he  had  been  ne- 
gociating  with  his  cousin,  a  shoemaker  of  some  respecta- 
bility, who  had  liberally  agreed  to  take  me  without  fee,  as 
an  apprentice.  I  was  so  shocked  at  this  intelligence,  that 
I  did  not  remonstrate  ;  but  went  in  sullenness  and  silence, 
to  my  new  master,  to  whom,  on  the  1st  of  January,  1772, 
I  was  bound  till  I  should  attain  the  age  of  twenty-one." 

Up  to  this  period  his  reading  had  been  very  limited ;  the 
only  books  he  had  perused,  beside  the  Bible,  with  which 
he  was  well  acquainted,  having  been  a  black  letter  romance 
called  Parismus  and  Parisaienes,  a  few  old  magazines,  and 
the  Imitation  of  Thomas  a  Kempis.  "  As  I  hated  my 
new  profession,"  he  continues,  *'  with  a  perfect  hatred,  T 
made    no    progress   in   it,    and    was    consequently    little 


58  WILLIAM  GIFFORD. 

regarded  in  the  family,  of  which  I  sank,  by  degrees,  into 
the  common  drudge ;  this  did  not  much  disquiet  me,  for 
my  spirits  were  now  humbled.  I  did  not,  however,  quite 
resign  my  hope  of  one  day  succeeding  to  Mr.  Hugh  Smer- 
don,  and  therefore  secretly  prosecuted  my  favorite  study, 
at  every  interval  of  leisure.  These  intervals  were  not  very 
frequent ;  and  when  the  use  I  made  of  them  was  found  out, 
they  were  rendered  still  less  so.  I  could  not  guess  the 
motives  for  this  at  first,  but  at  length  I  discovered  that  my 
master  destined  his  youngest  son  for  the  situation  to  which 
I  aspired. 

"  I  possessed,  at  this  time,  but  one  book  in  the  world  ;  it 
was  a  treatise  on  algebra,  given  to  me  by  a  young  woman 
who  had  found  it  in  a  lodging-house.  I  considered  it  as  a 
treasure  ;  but  it  was  a  treasure  locked  up  ;  for  it  supposed 
the  reader  to  be  well  acquainted  with  simple  equations, 
and  I  knew  nothing  of  the  matter.  My  master's  son  had 
purchased  '  Fenning's  Introduction ;'  this  was  precisely 
what  I  wanted — but  he  carefully  concealed  it  from  me,  and 
I  was  indebted  to  chance  alone  for  stumbling  upon  his 
hiding  place.  I  sat  up  for  the  greatest  part  of  several  nights 
successively,  and,  before  that  he  suspected  that  his  treatise 
was  discovered,  had  completely  mastered  it ;  I  could  now 
enter  upon  my  own,  and  that  carried  me  pretty  far  into  the 
science.  This  was  not  done  without  difficulty.  I  had  not 
a  farthing  on  earth,  nor  a  friend  to  give  me  one ;  pen,  ink, 
and  paper,  therefore,  (in  despite  of  the  flippant  remark  of 
Lord  Or  ford,)  were  for  the  most  part  as  completely  out  of 
my  reach,  as  a  crown  and  sceptre.  There  was,  indeed,  a 
resource  ;  but  the  utmost  caution  and  secrecy  were  neces- 
sary in  applying  to  it.  I  beat  out  pieces  of  leather  as 
smooth  as  possible,  and  wrought  my  problems  on  them 
with  a  blunted  awl ;  for  the  rest,  my  memory  was  tena- 
cious, and  I  could  multiply  and  divide  by  it  to  a  great 
extent." 


WILLIAM  GIFFORD.  5Q 

No  situation,  it  is  obvious,  could  be  more  unfavorable 
for  study  than  this ;  and  yet  vi^e  see  how  the  eager  student 
succeeded  in  triumphing  over  its  disadvantages,  contriving 
to  write  and  calculate  even  without  paper,  pens,  or  ink, 
by  the  aid  of  a  piece  of  leather  and  a  blunted  awl.  Where 
there  is  a  strong  determination  to  attain  an  object,  it  is 
generally  sufficient  of  itself  to  create  the  means  ;  and 
almost  any  means  are  sufficient. 

At  last,  however,  GiffiDrd  obtained  some  alleviation  of 
his  extreme  poverty.  He  had  scarcely,  he  tells  us,  known 
poetry  even  by  name,  when  some  verses,  composed  by 
one  of  his  acquaintances,  tempted  him  to  try  what  he 
could  do  in  the  same  style,  and  he  succeeded  in  producing 
a  few  rhymes.  As  successive  little  incidents  inspired  his 
humble  muse,  he  produced  several  more  compositions  of  a 
similar  description,  till  he  had  collected  about  a  dozen  of 
them.  "  Certainly,"  says  he,  "  nothing  on  earth  was  ever 
so  deplorable  ;"  but  such  as  they  were,  they  procured  him 
not  a  little  fame  among  his  associates,  and  he  began  at 
last  to  be  invited  to  repeat  them  in  other  circles.  *'  The 
repetitions  of  which  I  speak,"  he  continues,  "  were  always 
attended  with  applause,  and  sometimes  with  favors  more 
substantial ;  little  collections  were  now  and  then  made, 
and  I  have  received  sixpence  in  an  evening.  To  one 
who  had  long  lived  in  the  absolute  want  of  money,  such  a 
resource  seemed  a  Peruvian  mine.  I  furnished  myself, 
by  degrees,  with  paper,  &c.  and  what  was  of  more  impor- 
tance, with  books  of  geometry,  and  of  the  higher  branches 
of  algebra,  which  I  cautiously  concealed.  Poetry,  even 
at  this  time,  was  no  amusement  of  mine  ;  it  was  subser- 
vient to  other  purposes  ;  and  I  only  had  recourse  to  it 
when  I  wanted  money  for  my  mathematical  pursuits." 

But  even  this  resource  was  soon  taken  from  him.  His 
master,  having  heard  of  his  verse-making,  was  so  incensed 
both  at  what  he  deemed  the  idleness  of  the  occupation, 


60  WILLIAM  GIFFORD. 

and  especially  at  some  satirical  allusions  to  himself,  or  his 
customers,  upon  which  the  young  poet  had  unwisely  ven- 
tured, that  he  seized  and  carried  away  all  his  books  and 
papers,  and  even  prohibited  him,  in  the  strictest  manner, 
from  ever  again  repeating  a  line  of  his  compositions.  This 
severe  stroke  was  followed  by  another,  which  reduced  him 
to  utter  despair.  The  master  of  the  free  school,  to  which 
he  had  never  given  up  the  hope  of  succeeding,  died,  and 
another  person  was  appointed  to  the  situation,  not  much 
older  than  Gifford,  and  who,  he  says,  was  certainly  not  so 
well  qualified  for  it  as  himself  "  I  look  back,"  he  pro- 
ceeds, "  on  that  part  of  my  life  which  immediately  followed 
this  event,  with  little  satisfaction  ;  it  was  a  period  of  gloom 
and  savage  unsociability  ;  by  degrees  I  sunk  into  a  kind 
of  corporeal  torpor  ;  or,  if  roused  into  activity  by  the  spirit 
of  youth,  wasted  the  exertion  in  splenetic  and  vexatious 
tricks,  which  alienated  the  few  acquaintances,  which  com- 
passion had  yet  left  me." 

His  discontent  and  peevishness  seem,  however,  to  have 
gradually  given  way  to  the  natural  buoyancy  of  his  dispo- 
sition ;  some  evidences  of  kindly  feeling  from  those 
around  him  tended  a  good  deal  to  dispel  his  gloom ;  and, 
especially,  as  the  term  of  his  apprenticeship  drew  towards 
a  close,  his  former  aspirations  and  hopes  began  to  return 
to  him.  He  had  spent,  however,  nearly  six  years  at  his 
uncongenial  employment  before  any  decided  prospect  of 
deliverance  opened  before  him.  *'  In  this  humble  and 
obscure  state,"  says  he,  "  poor  beyond  the  common  lot, 
yet  flattering  my  ambition  with  day-dreams  which  perhaps 
would  never  have  been  realized,  I  was  found,  in  the 
twentieth  year  of  my  age,  by  Mr.  William  Cookesley — a 
name  never  to  be  pronounced  by  me  without  veneration. 
The  lamentable  doggerel  which  I  have  already  mentioned, 
and  which  had  passed  from  mouth  to  mouth  among  people 
of  my  own  degree  had,  by  some  accident  or  other,  reached 


WILLIAM  GIFFORD.  gl 

his  ear,  and  given  him  a  curiosity  to  inquire  after  the 
author."  Mr.  Cookesley,  who  was  a  surgeon,  and  not 
rich,  having  learnt  Gifford's  history  from  himself,  became 
so  much  interested  in  his  favor,  that  he  determined  to 
rescue  him  from  his  obscurity. 

"  The  plan,"  says  Gilford,  "  that  occurred  to  him  was 
naturally  that  which  had  so  often  suggested  itself  to  me. 
There  were,  indeed,  several  obstacles  to  be  overcome. 
My  hand-writing  was  bad,  and  my  language  very  incorrect ; 
but  nothing  could  slacken  the  zeal  of  this  excellent  man. 
He  procured  a  few  of  my  poor  attempts  at  rhyme,  dispersed 
them  among  his  friends  and  acquaintance,  and,  when  my 
name  was  become  somewhat  familiar  to  them,  set  on  foot 
a  subscription  for  my  relief.  I  still  preserve  the  original 
paper  ;  its  title  was  not  very  magnificent,  though  it  ex- 
ceeded the  most  sanguine  wishes  of  my  heart.  It  ran 
thus  :  '  A  subscription  for  purchasing  the  remainder  of 
the  time  of  William  Gifford,  and  for  enabling  him  to  im- 
prove himself  in  writing  and  English  grammar.'  Few 
contributed  more  than  five  shillings,  and  none  went  be- 
yond ten  and  sixpence, — enough  was  however  collected 
to  free  me  from  my  apprenticeship,  (the  sum  my  master 
received  was  six  pounds,)  and  maintaining  me  for  a  few 
months,  during  which  I  assiduously  attended  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Smerdon." 

The  difficulties  of  the  poor  scholar  were  now  over,  for 
his  patrons  were  so  much  pleased  with  the  progress  he 
made  during  this  short  period,  that  upon  its  expiration  they 
renewed  their  bounty,  and  maintained  him  at  school  for 
another  year.  "  Such  liberality,"  he  remarks,  ''  was  not 
lost  upon  me  ;  I  grew  anxious  to  make  the  best  return  in 
my  power,  and  I  redoubled  my  diligence.  Now  that  I  am 
sunk  into  indolence,  I  look  back  with  some  degree  of 
scepticism  to  the  exertions  of  that  period."  In  two  years 
and  two  months  from  what  he  calls  the  day  of  his  emanci- 
6 


62  WILLIAM  GIFFORD. 

pation,  he  was  pronounced  by  his  master  to  be  fit  for  the 
university  ;  and  a  small  office  having  been  obtained  for  him, 
by  Mr.  Cookesley's  exertions  at  Oxford,  he  was  entered  of 
Exeter  college,  that  gentleman  undertaking  to  provide  the 
additional  means  necessary  to  enable  him  to  live  till  he 
should  take  his  degree.  Mr.  GifTord's  first  patron  died  be- 
fore his  protege  had  time  to  fulfil  the  good  man's  fond  an- 
ticipations of  his  future  celebrity  ;  but  he  afterwards  found 
in  Lord  Grosvenor,  another  much  more  able  friend,  though 
it  was  impossible  that  any  other  man  could  have  shown 
more  zeal  in  advancing  his  interests.  A  long  and  prosper- 
ous life  was  an  ample  compensation  for  the  toils  and  hard- 
ships of  his  youth.  While  at  the  university,  he  undertook 
a  poetical  translation  of  the  satires  of  Juvenal,  but  which 
was  not  published  till  several  years  afterwards.  It  is  highly 
creditable  to  his  ability  as  a  satirist  and  critic.  After  leav- 
ing Oxford,  he  travelled  on  the  continent  for  some  years, 
with  Lord  Belgrave.  On  his  return,  he  settled  in  London, 
and  devoted  himself  to  literary  pursuits.  In  1791 ,  he  pub- 
lished The  Baviad,  a  poetical  satire  ;  and,  in  1794,  The 
Maeviad,  a  severe  animadversion  on  the  degraded  state  of 
the  drama.  These  works  were  virulent  and  coarse,  but 
display  much  critical  power.  In  1797,  he  became  editor 
of  the  Anti-Jacobin  newspaper.  He  soon  published  an 
edition  of  the  plays  of  Massinger  ;  afterwards  the  plays  of 
Ben  Jonson,  Ford,  and  Shirley, — all  accompanied  with 
notes,  and  with  the  lives  of  the  dramatists.  In  1809,  he 
commenced  the  publication  of  the  Quarterly  Review,  in 
opposition  to  the  Edinburgh.  He  conducted  it  till  1824, 
when  the  infirmities  of  age  compelled  him  to  retire.  He 
was  the  writer  of  many  of  the  articles  in  this  Review,  and 
generally  performed  his  work  with  great  judgment  and 
ability.  He  seems,  however,  to  have  been  wanting  in 
candor  and  liberal  feeling.  Probably  the  circumstances 
of  his  early  youth,  as  well  as  his  connection  with  the  tory- 


WILLIAM  GIFFORD.  63 

party  in  politics,  and  the  high  church-party  in  religion, 
will  account  for  the  harshness  and  ungenerousness  of  some 
articles,  which  appeared  in  his  Review,  in  relation  to  the 
United  States.  If  he  had  kind  feelings,  they  certainly  for- 
sook him  when  the  religion  and  literature  of  this  country 
came  before  his  consideration.  Mr.  Gifford  was  thoroughly 
a  literary  man.  Besides  the  works  already  mentioned,  he 
was  author  of  a  translation  of  the  Satires  of  Persius.  He 
enjoyed  an  annuity  from  Lord  Grosvenor,  and  held  the 
office  of  paymaster  of  the  board  of  gentlemen-pensioners, 
with  a  salary  of  ^300  a  year.  He  was  also,  for  a  time, 
comptroller  of  the  lottery,  with  a  salary  of  =£600  a  year. 
His  death  took  place  at  his  residence  near  London, 
December  31,  1826,  and  he  was  interred  on  the  8th  of 
January  following,  in  Westminster  Abbey.  He  had  no 
family.  He  left  the  greater  part  of  his  fortune  to  the 
son  of  his  first  kind  and  most  disinterested  patron,  Mr. 
Cookesley. 


JOHN  M'L.EA]V. 

John  M'Lean  was  born  in  Somerset  County,  in  the 
State  of  New  Jersey,  on  the  11th  of  March,  1785.  Dur- 
ing his  childhood,  his  father  removed  to  the  vicinity  of 
Lexington,  in  Kentucky,  where  he  remained  till  he  pur- 
chased a  tract  of  land  in  the  Miami  country,  which  he 
first  occupied  in  1797.  He  continues  to  reside  on  the 
same  farm,  now  brought  by  the  progress  of  improvement 
within  the  limits  of  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  restricted 
pecuniary  means  of  Mr.  M'Lean,  prevented  him  from  con- 
ferring on  his  sons  the  advantages  of  a  classical  education, 
even  if  there  had  been  seminaries  for  imparting  such  in- 
struction in  those  distant  settlements.  His  sons  could 
partake  only  of  the  inferior  education  to  be  derived  from 
the  common  schools  in  the  country.  In  these  schools,  John 
M'Lean,  the  subject  of  this  notice,  distinguished  himself 
from  the  earliest  period  of  his  career.  He  always  occu- 
pied the  first  place  in  his  class,  and  as  a  pupil,  was  noticed 
for  the  firmness  of  purpose,  which  has  so  strongly  marked 
his  subsequent  life. 

He  continued  on  his  father's  farm,  engaged  in  the  hon- 
orable and  invigorating  labors  of  an  husbandman,  until 
1802.  Becoming  desirous  of  enlarging  the  stores  of  his 
knowledge,  he  left  his  farm  and  his  father's  house,  and 
commenced  the  study  of  the  Latin  language,   and  other 


JUDGE  M'LEAN.  (55 

branches  of  liberal  learning,  under  the  care  of  two  gentle- 
men in  the  neighborhood,  well  qualified  to  superintend  his 
education. 

In  1804,  he  entered  the  office  of  general  Cane,  the 
clerk  of  the  courts  in  Cincinnati.  During  three  years,  he 
here  availed  himself  of  every  opportunity  of  improvement. 
In  this  office  he  began  the  study  of  the  law,  under  the  care 
of  Arthur  St.  Clair,  son  of  the  unfortunate  general  of  the 
same  name,  and  a  gentleman  of  eminent  legal,  attainments. 
Aware  that  the  means  of  acquiring  knowledge  had  been 
restricted  in  the  first  part  of  his  life,  young  M'Lean  now 
resolved  to  achieve  all  that  untiring  diligence  could  ac- 
complish, to  place  himself  on  an  equality,  in  point  of  infor- 
mation, with  those  who  had  possessed  advantages  superior 
to  his  own.  His  mental  applifltion  was  severe  and  unin- 
termitted.  That  no  time  might  be  lost,  he  limited  his 
hours  of  sleep  and  relaxation  to  the  smallest  demands  of 
nature.  His  assiduity  was  well  rewarded.  In  1807,  he 
commenced  the  practice  of  law.  At  that  time  there  were 
several  gentlemen  at  the  bar,  of  considerable  distinc- 
tion. Mr.  M'Lean  soon  gained  an  established  reputation, 
and  with  it  extensive  business,  which  he  maintained 
amidst  powerful  competition.  By  the  efforts  of  his  own 
unassisted  powers,  he  soon  rose  to  public  notoriety  and 
usefulness. 

In  1812,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven  years,  he  was  se- 
lected as  a  candidate  for  Congress,  in  the  district  in 
which  he  resided,  and  which  included  Cincinnati.  He 
was  elected  by  more  than  double  the  number  of  votes  given 
to  two  other  citizens,  who  were  supported  against  him. 
He  took  his  seat  in  Congress,  in  the  summer  session  suc- 
ceeding the  declaration  of  war.  It  was  an  era  of  deep  in- 
terest, demanding  great  wisdom  and  energy  in  the  conduct 
of  public  affiiirs.  A  system  of  revenue  was  adopted,  and 
various  other  subjects  of  great  moment  were  acted  upon. 
6* 


66  JUDGE  M'LEAN. 

JMr.  M'Lean  was  young  and  inexperienced,  and  showed 
his  good  sense,  by  avoiding  to  take  part  in  the  debates, 
preferring  to  enlarge  his  knowledge  by  listening  to  the 
arguments  of  mature  statesmen.  He  uniformly  gave  his 
support  to  the  administration,  as  was  the  case  with  nearly 
all  the  other  members  from  the  West.  The  first  impor- 
tant measure,  of  which  he  was  a  public  advocate,  was  a 
bill  to  compensate  those  individuals  who  lost  their  property, 
which  was  employed  in  the  public  service,  at  Detroit.  He 
was  also  author  of  the  measure  which  placed  the  widows 
of  the  officers  and  soldiers  who  fell  in  battle,  on  the  half 
pay  pension  list  for  five  years.  The  benefits  of  this  humane 
act  were  extensively  felt  by  a  class  of  persons  whose  be- 
reaved condition  deeply  excited  the  public  sympathies. 
Mr.  M'Lean  thence  for  wild  took  a  prominent  position  in 
the  various  discussions  on  the  policy  of  the  war,  support- 
ing the  administration  with  great  steadiness  and  vigor. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  committee  on  "  Foreign  Rela- 
tions," and  also  of  that  on  "  Public  Lands."  While  at 
Washington,  he  had  much  local  business  of  his  constitu- 
ents to  transact,  which  was  incident  to  the  state  of  the 
conflict  v*'ith  Great  Britain.  His  first  period  of  duty  in 
the  House  of  Representatives  having  closed,  he  was  re- 
elected by  the  unanimous  vote  of  the  district.  No  one 
was  named  as  his  opponent.  It  is  a  most  honorable  fact, 
and  one  which  cannot  be  very  often  adduced  in  regard  to 
the  objects  of  public  favor,  that  not  the  slightest  censure 
was  ever  attached  to  the  public  or  private  character  of 
Mr.  M'Lean.  During  the  session  of  the  Legislature  of 
Ohio,  in  1814 — 15,  he  was  strongly  urged  to  become  a 
candidate  for  the  Senate  of  the  United  States,  but  declined. 
At  the  next  session  of  the  Legislature  of  Ohio,  he  yielded 
to  the  wishes  of  his  friends,  and  was  unanimously  elected 
a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State. 

During  six  years,  he  discharged  the  arduous   duties  of 


JUDGE  M'LEAN.  67 

his  high  office  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  general  satis- 
faction to  the  people.  In  the  autumn  of  1822,  Judo-e 
M'Lean,  without  his  solicitation  or  knowledge,  was  nomi- 
nated by  President  Monroe,  Commissioner  of  the  Land 
Office,  which  appointment  he  was  induced  to  accept  after 
considerable  hesitation.  In  the  summer  of  1823,  he 
was  named  Post  Master  General — a  department  which  was 
at  that  time  overwhelmed  with  debt.  It  was  truly  a  Her- 
culean task  to  re-organize  it.  Judge  M'Lean  entered, 
however,  with  confidence,  upon  his  difficult  work.  He 
brought  an  energy,  a  moral  courage,  and  an  industry  to 
his  duties,  which  have  rarely  ever  been  equalled.  Hardly 
any  public  officer  has  acquired  so  high  a  reputation  by  the 
faithful  and  rigidly  impartial  manner  in  which  he  performed 
his  duties.  During  the  three  years  preceding  his  appoint- 
ment, the  receipts  of  the  post  office  fell  short  of  the 
expenditure,  two  hundred  and  sixty-two  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  twenty-one  dollars ;  and  for  the  year  imme- 
diately preceding,  fifty-five  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty 
dollars.  He  remained  in  office  until  1829,  during  which 
period  he  increased  the  annual  revenue  more  than  half  a 
million  of  dollars,  and  nearly  doubled  the  amount  of  the 
transportation  of  the  mail,  by  stage-coaches,  throughout 
the  United  States.  No  officer  of  our  government  ever 
devoted  himself  more  faithfully  to  his  duties,  and  very  few 
individuals  are  capable  of  undergoing  the  amount  of  labor 
to  which  he  subjected  himself  He  infused  life  through 
the  vast  extent,  and  multifarious  departments  of  the  post 
office.  Every  grievance  was  sure  to  meet  with  an  im- 
partial hearing,  and  if  well-founded,  with  speedy  redress. 
His  intercourse  with  the  various  subordinate  officers  of  his 
department,  was  marked  with  a  truly  Spartan  frankness 
and  honesty.  He  left  no  one  to  mistake  his  meaning. 
His  maxim  was,  that  nothing  should  be  considered  as 
finished,  while  anything  remained  undone.     A  deep  im- 


(38  JUDGE  M'LEAN. 

pression  of  the  sterling  qualities  of  his  character  was  made 
on  the  whole  country  by  his  renovation  of  the  post  office 
department.  He  continued  to  exercise  the  functions  of 
Post  Master  General,  during  the  administration  of  Mr. 
Adams.  General  Jackson,  soon  after  his  election,  nomi- 
nated Mr.  M'Lean  to  the  office  of  an  Associate  Justice  of 
the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  It  is  understood 
that  he  fills  this  office  with  much  propriety.  He  has  lately 
declined  being  considered  as  a  candidate  for  the  Presi- 
dency of  the  United  States. 

It  is  a  gratifying  circumstance,  that  Judge  M'Lean  has 
uniformly  shown  that  he  is  actuated  by  high  moral  consid- 
erations, and  that  he  is  not  ashamed  to  avow  his  attach- 
ment to  that  religion  which  so  many  statesmen  abjure  or 
neglect.  ^ 


THOMAS  BAL-DWIN. 


Among  the  most  numerous  and  prosperous  of  the  Chris- 
tian denominations  in  this  country,  are  the  Calvinistic 
Baptists.  In  numerical  strength,  they  are  superior  to  any 
other  division  of  the  Church,  with  the  exception  of  the 
Methodists.  Their  growth,  especially  in  some  of  the  more 
recently  settled  portions  of  the  country,  has  been  extremely 
rapid.  This  prosperity  has  been  owing  very  much  to  the 
energy  and  wisdom  of  a  few  individuals.  The  Baptists 
have  not,  to  a  great  extent,  placed  their  reliance  upon  asso- 
ciated effort.  Their  organization,  as  a  denomination,  is 
far  less  complete  than  that  of  any  other.  Their  churches 
have  exhibited,  perhaps,  more  conspicuously  even  than 
the  Congregational,  the  republican,  or  rather  democratic 
principles  of  equality  of  rights,  and  community  of  privileges. 
Such  a  state  of  things  is  eminently  calculated  to  bring  out 
individual  eifort,  to  cherish  and  develope  personal  char- 
acter. Men  must  have  a  rallying  point.  Scattered  talent 
must  have  a  place  of  convergence.  Nothing  important  can 
be  accomplished  in  morals  and  religion,  any  more  than  in 
war  and  politics,  without  leaders.  If  there  be  no  organi- 
zation on  which  to  recline,  some  master-spirit  will  arise. 
If  there  be  no  marshalled  host,  the  people  will  flock  to 
David  in  the  wilderness.  If  there  be  no  college  or  theo- 
logical seminary  to  concentrate  public  attention,  and  dis- 


70  THOMAS  BALDWIN. 

cipline  collected  talent,   some  patriarch  will  draw  around 
his  tent  the  sons  of  science,  or  the  disciples  of  Jesus. 

Such  have  been,  in  the  Baptist  community,  Williams, 
Backus,  Stillman,  and  Baldwin.  With  great  and  striking 
difference  as  to  talent  and  acquirement,  each  of  those  men 
attained  a  distinguished  rank,  and  exerted  an  extensive 
and  an  enduring  influence.  Upon  each  devolved  the  care, 
not  simply  of  a  church  or  congregation,  but,  in  an  impor- 
tant sense,  the  care  of  all  the  churches  in  the  connection. 
With  no  theological  seminary,  and  with  not  more  than  one 
college,  the  three  last  named,  particularly,  labored  to  sup- 
ply, so  far  as  unwearied  personal  effort  could  do  it,  the 
acknowledged  deficiency. 

Thomas  Baldwin  was  born  in  Bozrah,  in  the  State  of 
Connecticut,  December  23,  1753,  and  was  the  only  son  of 
Thomas  and  Mary  Baldwin,  both  natives  of  the  same 
place.  Of  the  early  history  of  his  family,  but  little  is 
known.  It  may,  however,  be  observed,  that  his  father 
was  attached  to  the  military  service,  and  rose  to  distinc- 
tion in  the  then  colonial  army.  He  died  while  his  son 
was  a  youth.  His  mother  was  a  woman  of  talent  and 
piety,  and  to  her  faithful  and  affectionate  instructions,  her 
son  was  greatly  indebted. 

Not  much  is  known  of  his  early  history.  The  traits  of 
character  for  which  he  was  in  manhood  remarkable, 
were,  however,  very  early  developed.  From  infancy  his 
temper  was  noticed  for  its  unruffled  serenity.  His  mother 
used  to  observe  that  she  never  knew  him,  but  in  a  single 
instance,  to  betray  any  signs  of  impatience  ;  and  when,  on 
this  occasion,  she  expressed  her  surprise,  he  instantly 
replied,  "  Mother,  I  am  not  angry." 

He  very  early  discovered  a  taste  for  reading.  Not  only 
did  he  devote  every  leisure  moment  to  the  improvement  of 
his  mind,  but  also  consecrated  to  this  object  the  hours  of 
labor.     Whenever  his  employments  were  of  such  a  nature 


THOMAS  BALDWIN.  7| 

that  one  of  his  hands  was  disengaged,  it  was  occupied 
with  a  book.  By  these  habits  of  incessant  appHcation,  he 
very  early  acquired  a  stock  of  valuable  though  miscella- 
neous information,  which,  combined  with  strong  powers 
of  original  thinking,  seemed  in  youth  to  mark  him  out  for 
distinguished  usefulness. 

At  this  time  the  advantages  of  education  were  much 
less  extensively  enjoyed  in  New  England,  than  at  present. 
Schools  were  very  rare,  and  the  general  modes  of  instruc- 
tion palpably  defective.  As  a  proof  of  this,  it  need  only  be 
remarked,  that  when  Mr.  Baldwin  removed  to  Canaan,  New 
Hampshire,  where  he  afterwards  resided,  he  was  generally 
selected  on  the  Sabbath,  to  read  a  sermon  to  the  people, 
who  assembled  for  public  worship,  because  he  was  the 
only  young  man  in  the  town  who  was  sufficiently  educated 
to  perform  this  service  acceptably.  The  mention  of  this 
fact  is  sufficient  to  show  how  strong  must  be  his  early  bias 
towards  intellectual  improvement. 

When  Mr.  Baldwin  was  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  his 
mother,  who  was  now  a  second  time  married  to  a  very 
worthy  and  pious  man,  by  the  name  of  Eames,  removed  to 
Canaan,  in  the  State  of  New  Hampshire.  He  removed 
with  the  family  ;  and  this  became  for  several  years  the 
place  of  his  residence.  In  September,  1775,  he  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Ruth  Huntington,  of  Norwich,  Connecticut. 
Before  he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  Mr.  Baldwin  was  elected 
to  represent  the  town  of  Canaan,  in  the  General  Court  of 
the  State.     To  this  office  he  was  repeatedly  re-elected. 

In  the  year  1780,  an  interesting  change  took  place  in 
the  character  of  Mr.  Baldwin.  After  a  season  of  deep 
religious  anxiety,  he  was  enabled  joyfully  to  devote  himself 
to  the  service  of  his  Redeemer.  His  views  of  truth  were 
clear  and  impressive.  His  sense  of  the  evil  of  sin,  and  of 
the  purity  of  God's  law,  were  such  as  to  lead  him  to 
deep  humiliation,  and  to  an  entire  and  cordial  reliance  on 


72  THOMAS  BALDWIN. 

the  mediation  and  atonement  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Of  this  period  of  mental  solicitude,  Mr.  Baldwin  has  left 
an  interesting  and  particular  memoir.  Mr.  Baldwin  was 
educated  in  the  principles  of  the  Congregationalists,  but 
about  this  time,  after  much  deliberation,  he  united  himself 
to  the  Baptists.  He  was  ordained  as  an  evangelist,  in 
June,  1783.  The  following  extracts  from  his  journal, 
show  his  spirit  and  manner  of  life.  "  I  continued  my 
labors  with  the  church  in  Canaan  seven  years,  during 
which  time,  though  principally  at  home  on  the  Sabbath,  I 
spent  much  of  the  intervening  time  in  visiting  and  preach- 
ing in  the  destitute  parts  of  the  surrounding  country. 
There  were  few  towns  wathin  the  space  of  fifty  miles  round, 
in  which  I  did  not  occasionally  preach.  In  this  warfare 
I  went  chiefly  at  my  own  charges.  Some  few  churches, 
how^ever,  which  I  visited  by  appointment  of  the  Associa- 
tion, made  me  some  compensation,  and  some  individuals 
made  me  small  presents  ;  but  I  do  not  recollect,  that  dur- 
ing the  whole  of  this  period,  in  all  my  journeyings,  I  ever 
received  a  public  contribution.  My  mode  of  travelling 
was  on  horseback.  In  pursuing  my  appointments,  I  had 
often  to  climb  the  ragged  mountain,  and  descend  the  deep 
ravine.  These  exchanges,  from  rocky  steeps  to  dismal 
swamps,  were  far  from  unfrequent  at  that  early  period 
of  the  settlement  of  this  part  of  our  country.  The  roads 
are  since  so  improved,  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  persuade 
the  traveller,  now-a-days,  that  they  had  ever  been  as  bad 
as  the  early  settlers  represent. 

•'The  people  were  not,  however,  so  much  wanting  in 
kindness,  as  in  the  means  of  assisting  a  travelling  min- 
ister. As  for  silver  and  gold,  the  greater  part  of  them  had 
none.  The  cause  of  this  scarcity  of  money  arose  from 
the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  times.  At  the  close  of 
the  revolutionary  war,  the  continental  currency,  which 
had  before  depreciated  to  almost  nothing,  ceased.     The 


THOMAS  BALDWIN.  73 

little  silver  that  remained  in  the  coffers  of  the  rich,  was 
with  much  reluctance  permitted  to  be  drawn  from  its  long 
sequestered  concealment.  It  hence  often  happened  that 
the  travelling  preacher  must  either  beg  or  go  hungry,  if  he 
happened  to  travel  where  he  was  not  known."  On  one  oc- 
casion, in  March,  1790,  Mr.  Baldwin  was  called  to  visit  a 
remote  part  of  New  Hampshire,  about  one  hundred  miles 
distant,  to  assist  in  the  establishment  of  a  church.  He  left 
home  with  only  a  few  shillings,  but  before  the  first  night 
the  whole  was  lost.  The  journey  was  chiefly  through  a 
wilderness,  with  a  few  log  cottages  to  relieve  the  solitude 
of  the  gloomy  forest.  The  snow  was  more  than  three 
feet  deep,  and  the  travelling  was  consequently  very  difficult 
and  dangerous.  At  length  Mr.  Baldwin  and  his  friends 
reached  home  in  safety,  after  having  subsisted  on  such 
casual  entertainment  as  they  could  procure  in  the  wil- 
derness. 

During  the  seven  years  which  he  passed  in  Canaan,  the 
whole  of  his  salary  would  not  average /or?y  dollars  a  year. 
"  Hence,"  says  Mr.  Baldwin,  ''  I  may  say  with  the  apostle, 
'  These  hands  have  ministered  to  my  necessities,  and 
those  that  were  with  me.'  I  would  have  gladly  devoted 
myself  wholly  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  could  I  have 
seen  any  way  in  which  my  family  might  have  been  sup- 
ported." 

In  the  year  1790,  Mr.  Baldwin  received  an  unanimous 
invitation  to  settle  in  the  ministry,  from  Sturbridge,  Mass., 
Hampton,  Conn,,  and  from  the  second  Baptist  Church  in 
Boston.  He  was  installed  over  the  latter  church,  in  No- 
vember, 1790. 

This  removal  brought  him  into  an  almost  entirely  new 
sphere  of  action.  From  the  frontier  settlements  of  New 
Hampshire,  he  was  removed  to  the, centre  of  polished  and 
literary  society  in  New  England,  and  placed  by  the  side 
of  such  men  as  the  Rev.  Drs.  Lathrop,  Eliot,  Howard, 


74  THOMAS  BALDWIN. 

Belknap,  and  Thacher,  of  the  Congregational  Church, 
and  of  the  excellent  Dr.  Stillman,  of  the  first  Baptist 
Church  ;  several  of  whom  were  eminent  and  finished  clas- 
sical scholars.  The  pulpits  of  Boston  were  perhaps  never 
more  ably  filled. 

These  circumstances   added  a  powerful  stimulus  to  Mr. 
Baldwin's  efforts,  and  in  fact,  created  a  new  era  in  his  life. 
His  early  advantages  for  education,  as  has  been  seen,  were 
but  scanty.     Constant  labor  had  left  him  but  little  oppor- 
tunity to  improve  them.     He  was  now  thirty-eight  years  of 
age ;  a  time  of  life   beyond  which  men  do  not  generally 
make  great  advancement  in  knowledge.     Says  his  biog- 
rapher, "  All  the  resources  upon  which,  depending  on  the 
grace  of  God,  he  could  rely,  in  this  arduous  situation,  were 
sincere  desires  to  be  useful,  native  vigor  of  mind,  a  fixed 
resolution  to   prepare   himself  for   the   duties   to   which 
Providence  called  him,  a  considerable  store  of  sound  re- 
flection on  theology,  and  knowledge  of  human  nature." 
He   saw  his  deficiencies,  and  gave   himself  to  his  work 
with  great  and  unrelaxing  diligence.     He  commenced  a 
course  of  judicious  theological  and  critical  study,  which 
enabled  him  better  to  serve  the  church  in  the  pulpit,   and 
more   extensively  to  illustrate  and  defend   her   doctrines 
from  the  press.     The  standard  of  preaching  rose  in  his 
own  denomination,  every  where  around  him.     He  assisted 
his  young  brethren  in  their  attempts  to  acquire  the  advan- 
tages of  education.     He  set  before  them  an  example  of 
simple,  unaffected  piety.     In    1803,   Mr.    Baldwin    com- 
menced  the   publication    of   the    Massachusetts    Baptist 
Magazine,  (afterwards  the  American  Baptist  Magazine.) 
From   its   commencement  to  the  year  1817,  he  was  its 
sole  editor,   and  from    1817,   to    his   death,   he  was  the 
senior  editor.     For  many  years  this  was  the  only  Baptist 
religious  periodical  in  America.     To  its  influence,  and  to 
the  labors  of  Mr.  Baldwin,  by  its  means,  may  be  ascribed, 


THOMAS  BALDWIN.  75 

in  a  considerable  degree,  the  progress  which  has  been  made 
in  his  own  denomination,  in  acquaintance  with  each  other, 
in  missionary  enterprise,  and  in  religious  knowledge.  In 
1802,  he  was  appointed  to  deliver  the  annual  sermon  be- 
fore the  Legislature  of  the  Commonwealth,  on  the  day  of 
General  Election.  Three  editions  of  this  discourse  were 
published.  It  was  pronounced  by  the  American  Review, 
an  able  and  interesting  sermon.  In  1803,  Union  College 
at  Schenectady,  N.  Y.  conferred  on  Mr.  Baldwin,  the 
honorary  degree  of  Doctor  in  Divinity.  He  was  a  trustee, 
and  afterwards  a  fellow  of  Brown  University,  at  Providence, 
R.  I.,  a  trustee  of  the  Columbian  College,  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  and  of  Waterville  College,  in  Maine.  He  w^as  also 
President,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  of  the  Baptist  Board  of 
Managers  for  Foreign  Missions.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  convention  for  amending  the  constitution  of  the  Com- 
monwealth of  Massachusetts,  in  the  year  182  J .  He  occa- 
sionally addressed  the  convention  with  ability  and  effect. 

Dr.  Baldwin  died  suddenly  at  Waterville,  Maine,  Au- 
gust 29,  1825,  whither  he  had  gone  to  attend  the  annual 
commencement  of  the  college.  His  remains  were  brought 
to  Boston,  and  interred  with  every  mark  of  respect  and 
veneration.  He  had  been  aware,  for  some  time,  that  he 
was  drawing  near  to  the  grave.  "  Dr.  Baldwin,"  remarks 
his  biographer,  '^  was  not  afraid  to  die.  His  faith  was 
firm,  his  hope  was  unclouded.  Like  the  sun  at  his  setting, 
what  was  wanting  in  meridian  splendor,  was  more  than 
supplied  by  the  mild  radiance  on  which  the  eye  delighted 
to  dwell,  and  which  threw  abroad  its  rich  and  mellowed 
glories  more  profusely,  the  nearer  it  approached  to  the 
moment  of  its  departure." 

The  number  of  Dr.  Baldwin's  publications,  besides  his 
numerous  contributions  to  periodical  works,  amounted  to 
thirty-seven.  Most  of  them  were  single  occasional  ser- 
mons.    As  a  proof  of  the  extent  of  his  labors,  it  is  men- 


76  THOMAS  BALDWIN. 

tioned  that  the  number  of  individuals  whom  he  had 
baptized  in  Boston  and  other  places,  amounted  to  seven 
hundred  and  eighty-eight.  The  number  of  marriages 
which  he  solemnized  in  Boston,  was  two  thousand  six 
hundred  and  sixty-one. 

Much  of  the  excellence  of  Dr.  Baldwin's  character,  is 
doubtless  to  be  attributed  to  the  circumstances  in  which 
he  was  thrown,  in  the  providence  of  God.  His  residence 
in  the  wilds  of  New  Hampshire,  imparted  an  energy  and 
decision  to  his  character  which  never  forsook  him.  The 
circle  of  clergymen  with  whom  he  associated  in  the  me- 
tropolis of  New  England,  would  naturally  tend  to  correct 
his  taste,  and  enlarge  his  views.  Still  it  was  his  own 
patient,  self-denying,  vigorous  effort,  which  principally, 
under  God,  was  the  cause  of  his  eminent  usefulness.  His 
various  controversies  sharpened  and  invigorated  his  reason- 
ing powers,  but  they  did  not  create  or  essentially  modify 
those  powers. 

It  is  a  most  interesting  fact  in  the  history  of  Dr.  Baldwin, 
that  he  almost  commenced  anew  his  literary  life  at  the 
age  of  thirty-eight.  His  success  furnishes  strong  encour- 
agement to  that  class  in  the  community,  whose  early  edu- 
cation has  been  neglected,  and  who  find  themselves,  in 
middle  life,  in  a  state  of  comparative  and  humiliating 
ignorance.  It  is  never  too  late  to  read ;  it  is  never  too  late 
to  think.  It  is  always  a  duty  and  a  privilege  to  cultivate 
those  noble  powers  of  reasoning  and  judgment,  which  our 
benevolent  Creator  has  given  to  us.  Why  may  not  the 
intellect  be  kept  burning  brightly  to  the  last  moment  of 
life  ?  Why  may  not  the  stores  of  knowledge  be  enlarged 
beyond  the  age  of  sixty  ?  Why  may  not  even  the  imagi- 
nation retain,  up  to  the  farthest  limit  of  human  existence, 
the  freshness  and  vigor  of  earlier  flights  ?  Why  may  not 
the  soul  spring  into  a  renovated  and  immortal  life,  with 
unimpaired  and  un wasted  energies  ?     Is  not  much  of  that 


THOMAS  BALDWIN.  77 

senility  in  intellect,  which  we  frequently  observe  in  old 
age,  to  be  attributed,  not  to  the  constitution  of  the  mind, 
not  to  any  law  of  the  Creator,  but  to  habits  of  bodily 
indulgence ;  because  the  individual  quietly  acquiesced  in 
what  he  ought  to  have  vigorously  met  and  vanquished  1 
because  he  tamely  submitted  to  the  suggestions  of  indo- 
lence, or  to  the  seductive  charms  of  domestic  life  ?  Why 
not  approach  the  territories  of  death,  as  Dr.  Dwight  and 
Robert  Hall  did,  with  firm  step,  with  clear-sighted  vision, 
with  intelligent  humble  faith,  and  with  intellect  too  strong 
and  elastic  for  the  frail  earthly  tenement  any  longer  to 
imprison. 


DAVID  RITTENHOUSE. 


See  the  sage  Rittenhouse,  with  ardent  eye, 

Lift  the  long  tube  and  pierce  the  starry  sky  ; 

Clear  in  his  view  the  circling  systems  roll, 

And  broader  splendors  gild  the  central  pole. 

He  marks  what  laws  the  eccentric  wanderers  bind, 

Copies  creation  in  his  forming  mind. 

And  bids,  beneath  his  hand  in  semblance  rise, 

With  mimic  orbs,  the  labors  of  the  skies. 

Vision  of  Columbus. 

David  R^ittenhouse  was  born  near  Germantown, 
Pennsylvania,  April  8th,  1732.  The  family  originally 
came  from  Guelderland,  a  province  in  Holland.  They 
settled  in  the  State  of  New  York,  while  it  was  a 
Dutch  colony,  and  were  the  first  who  engaged  in  the 
manufacture  of  paper  in  this  country.  The  father  of 
David  Rittenhouse  abandoned  the  occupation  of  a  paper- 
maker,  when  about  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  and  com- 
menced the  business  of  a  farmer,  on  a  piece  of  land  which 
he  had  purchased  in  the  township  of  Norriton,  about 
twenty  miles  from  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  It  seems  that 
he  very  early  designed  his  son  for  this  useful  and  respec- 
table employment.  Accordingly,  as  soon  as  the  boy 
arrived  at  a  sufficient  age  to  assist  in  conducting  the  affairs 
of  the  farm,  he  was  occupied  as  an  husbandman.  This 
kind  of  occupation  appears  to  have  commenced  at  an  early 


DAVID  RITTENHOUSE.  79 

period  of  his  life.  About  the  fourteenth  year  of  his  ao-e 
he  was  employed  in  ploughing  in  his  father's  fields.  His 
brother  Benjamin  relates,  that  while  David  was  thus  en- 
gaged at  the  plough,  he,  (the  informant,)  then  a  young  boy, 
was  frequently  sent  to  call  him  to  his  meals  ;  at  which 
times  he  repeatedly  observed,  that  not  only  the  fences  at 
the  head  of  many  of  the  furrows,  but  even  his  ploughs  and 
its  handles,  were  covered  over  with  chalked  'numerical 
figures.  Astronomy  was  a  favorite  pursuit.  He  also  ap- 
plied himself  industriously  to  the  study  of  optics,  the  me- 
chanical powers,  &&C.  without  the  advantages  of  the  least 
instruction.  About  the  seventeenth  year  of  his  age,  he 
made  a  wooden  clock,  of  very  ingenious  workmanship ; 
and  soon  after,  he  constructed  one  of  the  same  materials 
that  compose  the  common  four-and-twenty  hour  clock,  and 
upon  the  same  principles.  He  had,  much  earlier  in  life, 
exhibited  proofs  of  his  mechanical  genius,  by  making, 
when  only  seven  or  eight  years  old,  a  complete  water-mill 
in  miniature. 

With  many  valuable  traits  of  character,  old  Mr.  Ritten- 
house  had  no  claims  to  what  is  termed  genius.  Hence  he 
did  not  properly  appreciate  the  early  specimens  of  talent 
which  appeared  in  his  son  David.  He  was,  for  some  time, 
opposed  to  the  young  man's  earnest  desire  to  renounce 
agricultural  employments,  for  the  purpose  of  devoting  him- 
self altogether,  to  philosophical  pursuits,  in  connection 
with  some  such  mechanical  profession  as  might  best  com- 
port with  useful  objects  of  natural  philosophy,  and  be  most 
likely,  at  the  same  time,  to  afford  him  the  means  of  a  com- 
fortable subsistence.  At  length,  however,  the  father 
yielded  his  own  inclinations,  in  order  to  gratify  what  was 
manifestly  the  irresistible  impulse  of  his  son's  genius.  He 
supplied  him  with  money  to  purchase,  in  Philadelphia,  such 
tools  as  were  more  immediately  necessary  for  commencing 
the  clock-making  business,  which  the  son  then  adopted  as 


80  DAVID  RITTENHOUSE. 

his  profession.  About  the  same  time,  young  Mr.  Ritten- 
house  erected,  on  the  side  of  a  public  road  and  on  his 
father's  land,  in  the  township  of  Norriton,  a  small  but 
commodious  workshop ;  and,  after  having  made  many 
implements  of  the  trade  with  his  own  hands,  to  supply  the 
deficiency  in  his  purchased  stock,  he  set  out  in  good  ear- 
nest, as  a  clock  and  mathematical  instrument  maker. 
From  the  age  of  eighteen  or  nineteen  to  twenty-five,  Mr. 
Rittenhouse  applied  himself  unremittingly,  both  to  his 
trade  and  his  studies.  Employed  throughout  the  day  in 
his  attention  to  the  former,  he  devoted  much  of  his  nights 
to  the  latter.  Indeed,  he  deprived  himself  of  the  necessary 
hours  of  rest ;  for  it  was  his  almost  invariable  practice,  to 
sit  up  at  his  books,  until  midnight,  sometimes  much  later. 

When  Mr.  Rittenhouse's  father  established  his  residence 
at  Norriton,  and  during  the  minority  of  the  son,  there 
were  no  schools  in  the  vicinity  at  which  anything  more 
was  taught,  than  reading  and  writing  in  the  English  lan- 
guage, and  the  simplest  rules  of  arithmetic.  Young  Rit- 
tenhouse's school  education  was  therefore  necessarily 
bounded  by  very  narrow  limits.  He  was  in  truth  taught 
nothing  beyond  those  very  circumscribed  studies,  which 
have  been  named,  prior  to  his  nineteenth  year.  The  zeal 
with  which  he  pursued  his  studies  will  be  seen  from  the 
following  extract  of  a  letter,  written  in  September,  1756, 
being  then  little  more  than  twenty-four  years  of  age.  "  I 
have  not  health  for  a  soldier,"  (the  country  was  then  en- 
gaged in  war,)  "  and  as  I  have  no  expectation  of  serving 
my  country  in  that  way,  I  am  spending  my  time  in  the  old 
trifling  manner,  and  am  so  taken  with  optics,  that  I  do  not 
know  whether,  if  the  enemy  should  invade  this  part  of  the 
country,  as  Archimedes  was  slain  while  making  geomet- 
rical figures  on  the  sand,  so  I  should  die  making  a 
telescope." 

An  incident  now  occurred  which  served  to  make  known 


DAVID  RITTENHOUSE.  gl 

more  extensively,  the  extraordinary  genius  of  Rittenhouse. 
His  mother  had  two  brothers,  David  and  Lewis  WilHams 
(or  William),  both  of  whom  died  in  their  minority.  David, 
the  elder  of  these,  pursued  the  trade  of  a  carpenter,  or 
joiner.  Though,  like  his  nephew  and  namesake,  he  was 
almost  wholly  an  uneducated  youth,  he  also,  like  him, 
early  discovered  an  unusual  genius  and  strength  of  mind. 
After  the  death  of  this  young  man,  on  opening  a  chest 
containing  the  implements  of  his  trade,  which  was  depos- 
ited at  Mr.  M.  Rittenhouse's,  (in  whose  family  it  is  pre- 
sumed he  dwelt,)  a  few  elementary  books,  treating  of 
arithmetic  and  geometry,  were  found  in  it.  With  these, 
there  were  various  calculations  and  other  papers,  in  man- 
uscript ;  all  the  productions  of  David  Williams  himself, 
and  such  as  indicated  not  only  an  uncommon  genius,  but 
an  active  spirit  of  philosopbical  research.  To  this  humble 
yet  valuable  coffer  of  his  deceased  uncle,  Rittenhouse 
had  free  access,  while  yet  a  very  young  boy.  He  often 
spoke  of  this  acquisition  as  a  treasure,  inasmuch  as  the 
instruments  belonging  to  his  uncle,  afforded  him  the  means 
of  gratifying  and  exercising  his  mechanical  genius,  while 
the  books  and  manuscripts  early  led  his  mind  to  those  con- 
genial pursuits  in  mathematical  and  astronomical  science, 
w'hich  were  ever  the  favorite  objects  of  his  studies.  This 
circumstance,  probably,  occurred  before  his  twelfth  year. 
"  It  was  during  the  residence  of  Rittenhouse  with  his 
father  at  Norriton,"  says  his  eulogist,  Dr.  Rush,  "  that  he 
made  himself  master  of  Sir  Isaac  Newton's  Principia, 
which  he  read  in  the  English  translation  of  Mr.  Motte. 
It  was  here,  likewise,  that  he  became  acquainted  with 
the  science  of  fluxions  ;  of  which  sublime  invention,  he 
believed  himself  for  a  while  to  be  the  author,  nor  did  he 
know  for  some  years  afterwards,  that  a  contest  had  been 
carried  on  between  Sir  Isaac  Newton  and  Leibnitz,  for 
the  honor  of  that  great  and  useful  discovery."     Mr.  Rit- 


82  DAVID  RITTENHOUSE. 

tenhouse's  early  zeal  in  his  practical  researches  into  astron- 
omy, prompted  him  to  desire  the  greatest  possible  accuracy 
in  the  construction  of  time-pieces  adapted  to  astronomical 
purposes  ;  and  uniting,  as  he  did,  operative  skill  with  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  principles  upon  which  their 
construction  depends,  he  was  enabled,  by  his  own  me- 
chanical ingenuity,  to  gain  a  near  approach  to  the  perfec- 
tion to  which  the  pendulum-chronometer  may  be  brought. 

**  There  is  nothing  peculiar  in  the  mechanism  of  this  time- 
piece, which  requires  to  be  mentioned,  except  the  pendu- 
lum ;  especially  the  apparatus  for  counteracting  the  effects 
of  temperature.  For  this  purpose,  there  is  fastened  on  the 
pendulum-rod  (which  is  of  iron  or  steel)  a  glass  tube  about 
thirty-six  inches  long  ;  bent  in  the  middle  into  two  parallel 
branches,  at  the  distance  of  about  an  inch  from  each  other ; 
the  bend  being  placed  downwards,  immediately  above  the 
bob  of  the  pendulum.  The  tube  is  open  at  one  end,  and 
closed  at  the  other ;  the  arm  which  is  closed  at  the  top  is 
filled,  within  about  two  inches  of  the  lower  end  or  bend, 
with  alcohol,  and  the  rest  of  the  tube,  within  about  one 
half  of  an  inch  of  the  upper  extremity,  or  open  end,  with 
mercury  ;  a  few  inches  of  the  tube,  at  this  extremity,  being 
about  twice  the  width  of  the  rest  of  the  tube. 

"  Now  when  the  heat  of  the  air  increases,  it  will  expand 
the  pendulum-rod  ;  and  would  thus  lower  the  centre  of 
oscillation,  and  cause  the  clock  to  go  slower ;  but  this 
offect  is  completely  counteracted,  by  the  expansion  of  the 
alcohol  chiefly,  and  of  the  mercury  in  part;  which  equally 
raises  the  centre  of  oscillation,  and  thus  preserves  an  equa- 
ble motion  in  all  the  variable  temperatures  of  the  atmos- 
phere." 

The  great  accuracy  and  exquisite  workmanship  dis- 
played in  every  thing  belonging  to  the  profession  which 
Mr.  Rittenhouse  pursued,  that  came  through  his  hands, 
soon  became  extensively   kno\\\n,   in  that  portion  of  the 


DAVID  RITTENHOUSE.  §3 

United  States  where  he  lived.  This  knowledge  of  his 
mechanical  abilities,  assisted  by  the  reputation  which  he 
had  already  acquired  as  a  mathematician  and  astronomer, 
in  a  short  time  procured  him  the  friendship  and  patronage 
of  some  eminent  scientific  men.  In  mechanics  he  was 
entirely  self-taught.  He  never  received  the  least  instruc- 
tion from  any  person,  in  any  mechanic  art  whatever.  If 
he  were  to  be  considered  merely  as  an  excellent  artist,  in 
an  occupation  intimately  connected  with  the  science  of 
mechanics,  untutored  as  he  was  in  any  art  or  science,  he 
would  deservedly  be  deemed  an  extraordinary  man. 

In  the  bosom  of  his  father's  family  he  long  continued  to 
enjoy  the  tranquil  scenes  of  rural  life,  amidst  the  society  of 
an  amiable  and  very  intelligent  family  circle,  and  surrounded 
by  many  estimable  neighbors,  by  whom  he  was  both  loved 
and  respected.  His  chief  occupation  was  that  of  the  pro- 
fession which  he  had  chosen,  but  the  occasional  intervals 
of  leisure  from  his  business,  which  his  assistant  workmen 
enabled  him  to  obtain,  he  devoted  to  philosophical  and 
abstract  studies. 

In  February,  1766,  Mr.  Rittenhouse  was  married  to 
Miss  Eleanor  Colston,  the  daughter  of  a  respectable  mem- 
ber of  the  Society  of  Friends,  who  lived  in  the  neighbor- 
hood.    After  her  death  he  married  Miss  Hannah  Jacobs. 

In  the  year  1767,  among  other  things,  he  contrived  and 
made  a  very  ingenious  thermometer,  constructed  on  the 
principle  of  the  expansion  and  contraction  of  metals  by 
heat  and  cold,  respectively.  This  instrument  had,  under 
glass,  a  face  upon  which  was  a  graduated  semi-circle  ; 
the  degrees  of  heat  and  cold  corresponded  with  those  of 
Fahrenheit's  thermometer  ;  and  these  were  also  corres- 
pondingly designated  by  an  index  moving  on  the  centre  of 
the  arch.  Its  square,  or  rather  parallelogramical  form,  its 
flatness  and  thinness,  and  its  small  size,  together  with  its 
not  being  liable  to  the  least  sensible  injury  or  irregularity. 


84  DAVID  RITTENHOUSE. 

from  any  position  in  which  it  might  be  placed,  rendered  it 
a  very  convenient  thermometer  to  be  carried  in  the  pocket. 

About  this  time  Mr.  Rittenhouse  made  a  very  ingenious 
orrery.  Though  no  description  in  words,  can  give  an 
adequate  idea,  yet  we  subjoin  a  part  of  the  philosopher's 
ov/n  account  of  it.  "  This  machine  is  intended  to  have 
three  foces,  standing  perpendicular  to  the  horizon ;  that 
in  the  front  to  be  four  feet  square,  made  of  sheet  brass, 
curiously  polished,  silvered,  and  painted,  in  proper  places, 
and  otherwise  properly  ornamented.  From  the  centre 
arises  an  axis,  to  support  a  gilded  brass  ball,  intended  to 
represent  the  sun.  Round  this  ball  move  others,  made  of 
brass  or  ivory,  to  represent  the  planets.  They  are  to  move 
in  elliptical  orbits,  having  the  central  ball  in  one  focus  ; 
and  their  motions  to  be  sometimes  swifter,  and  sometimes 
slower,  as  nearly  according  to  the  true  law  of  an  equable 
description  of  areas  as  possible,  without  too  great  a  com- 
plication of  wheel  work.  The  orbit  of  each  planet  is  like- 
wise to  be  properly  inclined  to  those  of  the  others  ;  and 
their  aphelia  and  nodes  justly  placed  ;  and  their  velocities 
so  accurately  adjusted,  as  not  to  differ  sensibly  from  the 
tables  of  astronomy  in  some  thousands  of  years. 

"  For  the  greater  beauty  of  the  instrument,  the  balls 
representing  the  planets  are  to  be  of  considerable  bigness ; 
but  so  contrived  that  they  may  be  taken  off  at  pleasure, 
and  others,  much  smaller,  and  fitter  for  some  purposes,  put 
in  their  places. 

"  When  the  machine  is  put  in  motion,  by  the  turning 
of  a  winch,  there  are  three  indexes  which  point  out  the 
hour  of  the  day,  the  day  of  the  month,  and  the  year  an- 
swering to  that  situation  of  the  heavenly  bodies  which  is 
there  represented ;  and  so  continually,  for  a  period  of 
five  thousand  years,  either  forwards  or  backwards. 

*'  The  two  lesser  faces  are  four  feet  in  height,  and  two 
feet  three  inches  in  breadth.     One  of  them  will  exhibit  all 


DAVID  RITTENHOUSE.  85 

the  appearances  of  Jupiter  and  his  satellites,  their  eclipses, 
transits,  and  inclinations  ;  likewise  all  the  appearances  of 
Saturn,  with  his  ring  and  satellites.  And  the  other  will 
represent  all  the  phenomena  of  the  moon,  particularly,  the 
exact  time,  quantity,  and  duration  of  her  eclipses, — and 
those  of  the  sun  occasioned  by  her  interposition  ;  with  a 
most  curious  contrivance  for  exhibiting  the  appearance  of 
a  solar  eclipse,  at  any  particular  place  on  the  earth,  like- 
wise the  true  place  of  the  moon  in  the  signs,  with  her 
latitude,  and  the  place  of  her  apogee  in  the  nodes ;  the 
sun's  declination,  equation  of  time,  &c.  It  must  be  un- 
derstood that  all  these  motions  are  to  correspond  exactly 
with  the  celestial  motions ;  and  not  to  differ  several  de- 
grees from  the  truth,  in  a  few  revolutions,  as  is  common  in 
orreries." 

Some  general  idea,  perhaps,  of  this  instrument,  may  be 
derived  from  the  preceding  description  ;  at  least  it  will 
afford  sufficient  evidence  of  the  extraordinary  philosophical 
and  mechanical  powers  of  Rittenhouse. 

Another  most  important  service,  which  he  rendered  for 
the  world,  was  the  observation  of  the  transit  of  Venus 
over  the  sun's  disc,  which  took  place  on  the  third  of  June, 
1769.  There  had  been  but  one  of  these  transits  of  Venus 
over  the  sun,  during  the  course  of  about  one  hundred  and 
thirty  years  preceding  that  of  1769 ;  and,  for  upwards  of 
seven  centuries,  antecedently  to  the  commencement  of 
that  period,  the  same  planet  had  passed  over  the  sun's 
disc  no  more  than  thirteen  times.  The  next  transit  of 
Venus  will  take  place  on  the  8th  of  December,  1874, 
which,  but  few  if  any  persons,  then  on  the  stage  of  life, 
will  have  an  opportunity  of  observing.  From  1874, 
down  to  the  14th  of  June,  A.  D.  2984,  inclusively, — a 
period  of  upwards  of  eleven  centuries, — the  same  planet 
will  pass  over  the  sun's  disc  only  eighteen  times. 

The  great  use  of  the  observation  of  the  transit  of  Venus 
8 


86  DAVID  RITTENHOUSE. 

is  to  determine  the  sun's  parallax.*  Only  two  of  these 
phenomena  had  been  ohserimd  since  the  creation  of  the 
world,  and  the  first  had  been  seen  by  only  two  persons — 
Jeremiah  Horrox  and  William  Crabtree,  two  Englishmen. 
As  the  time  approached  when  this  extraordinary  phenom- 
enon was  to  manifest  itself,  the  public  expectation  and 
anxiety  were  greatly  excited.  The  American  Philosophi- 
cal Society  appointed  thirteen  gentlemen,  to  be  distributed 
into  three  committees,  for  the  purpose  of  making  observa- 
tions. Rev.  Dr.  Ewing  had  the  principal  direction  of  the 
observatory  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia ;  Mr.  Owen  Biddle 
had  the  charge  of  superintending  the  observations  at  Cape 
Henlopen,  and  Mr.  Rittenhouse  those  at  Norriton,  near 
his  own  residence,  on  an  elevated  piece  of  ground,  com- 
manding a  good  range  of  horizontal  view.  It  was  com- 
pletely furnished  with  the  necessary  instruments,  owing 
very  much  to  the  liberality  of  some  scientific  gentlemen  in 
England. 

'*  We  are  naturally  led,"  says  Dr.  Rush,  in  hiseulogium, 
"  to  take  a  view  of  our  philosopher,  with  his  associates,  in 
their  preparations  to  observe  a  phenomenon,  which  had 
never  been  seen  but  twice  before  by  any  inhabitant  of  our 
earth,  which  would  never  be  seen  again  by  any  person 
then  living,  and  on  which  depended  very  important  astro- 
nomical consequences.  The  night  before  the  long  ex- 
pected day,  was  probably  passed  in  a  degree  of  solicitude 
which  precluded  sleep.  How  great  must  have  been  their 
joy,  when  they  beheld  the  morning  sun  ;  and  the  '  whole 
horizon  without  a  cloud,'  for  such  is  the  description  of  the 

*  A  parallax  denotes  a  change  of  the  apparent  place  of  any  heavenly 
body,  caused  by  being  seen  from  different  points  of  view ;  or  it  is  the 
difference  between  the  true  and  apparent  distance  of  any  heavenly 
body  from  the  zenith.  The  fixed  stars  are  so  remote  as  to  have  no 
sensible  parallax  ;  and  even  the  sun  and  all  the  primary  planets,  ex- 
cept Mars  and  Venus  when  nearest  the  earth,  are  at  so  great  dis- 
tances from  the  earth,  that  their  parallax  is  too  small  to  be  observed. 


DAVID  RITTENHOUSE.  87 

day,  given  by  Mr.  Rittenhoiise,  in  his  report  to  Dr.  Smith. 
In  pensive  silence  and  trembling  anxiety,  they  waited  for 
the  predicted  moment  of  observation ;  it  came, — and 
brought  with  it  all  that  had  been  wished  for,  and  expected, 
by  those  who  saw  it.  In  our  philosopher,  in  the  instant 
of  one  of  the  contacts  of  the  planet  with  the  sun,  there 
was  an  emotion  of  delight  so  exquisite  and  powerful,  as  to 
induce  fainting  ; — such  was  the  extent  of  that  pleasure, 
which  attends  the  discovery  or  first  perception  of  truth." 

The  observations  of  Mr.  Rittenhouse  were  received 
with  great  favor  by  the  whole  philosophical  world.  Mr. 
Ludlam,  one  of  the  vice  presidents  of  the  Philosophical 
Society  of  London,  and  an  eminent  astronomer,  thus  writes, 
''  No  astronomers  could  better  deserve  all  possible  encour- 
agement ;  whether  we  consider  their  care  and  diligence  in 
making  their  observations,  their  fidelity  in  relating  what 
was  done,  or  the  clearness  and  accuracy  of  their  reasoning 
on  this  curious  and  difficult  subject.  The  more  I  read 
the  transactions  of  your  Society,  (the  American  Philosoph- 
ical,) the  more  I  honor  and  esteem  the  members  of  it. 
There  is  not  another  Society  in  the  world,  that  can  boast 
of  a  me^nber  such  as  Mr.  Rittenhouse  ;  theorist  enough 
to  encounter  the  problems  of  determining,  from  a  few  ob- 
servations, the  orbit  of  a  comet ;  and  also  mechanic 
enough  to  make,  with  his  own  hands,  an  equal-altitude 
instrument,  a  transit-telescope,  and  a  time-piece.  I  wish  I 
was  near  enough  to  see  his  mechanical  apparatus.  I  find 
he  is  engaged  in  making  a  curious  orrery." 

Dr.  Maskelyne,  Astronomer  Royal  at  Greenwich,  says, 
the  "  Pennsylvania  Observations  of  the  transit  were  excel- 
lent and  complete,  and  do  honor  to  the  gentlemen  who 
made  them,  and  those  who  promoted  the  undertaking." 
Dr.  Wrangel,  an  eminent  and  learned  Swedish  clergyman, 
speaking  of  the  Transactions  of  the  American  Philosophi- 
cal Society,   says,   "  Your  accurate  observations  of  the 


88  DAVID  RITTENHOUSE. 

transit  of  Venus,  have  given  infinite  satisfaction  to  our 
Swedish  astronomers." 

On  the  9th  of  November  following,  Mr.  Rittenhouse, 
in  connection  with  several  others,  observed  a  transit  of 
Mercury  over  the  sun's  disc. 

In  the  autumn  of  1770,  Mr.  Rittenhouse  removed  with 
his  family  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 

A  new  phenomenon  in  the  heavens  soon  after  engaged 
his  attention  ;  this  was  the  comet  which  appeared  in  June 
and  July,  1770.  *'  Herewith  I  send  you,"  says  Mr.  Rit- 
tenhouse, writing  to  Dr.  Smith,  "  the  fruit  of  three  or  four 
days'  labor,  during  which  I  have  covered  many  sheets, 
and  literally  drained  my  ink-stand  several  times."  In 
another  letter  he  remarks,  "  I  told  you  that  some  intricate 
calculation,  or  other,  always  takes  up  my  idle  hours,  (he 
seems  to  have  considered  all  his  hours  '  idle'  ones  which 
were  not  taken  up  in  some  manual  employment,)  that  I 
cannot  find  time  to  write  to  my  friends  as  often  as  I  could 
wish  ;  a  new  object  has  lately  engrossed  my  attention. 
The  comet  which  appeared  a  few  weeks  since  was  so  very 
extraordinary,  that  I  could  not  forbear  tracing  it  in  all  its 
wanderings,  and  endeavoring  to  reduce  that  motion  to 
order  and  regularity  which  seemed  void  of  any.  This,  I 
think,  I  have  accomplished,  so  far  as  to  be  able  to  com- 
pute its  visible  place  for  any  given  time  ;  and  I  can  assure 
you  that  the  account  from  York,  of  its  having  been  seen 
again  near  the  place  where  it  first  appeared,  is  a  mistake. 
Nor  is  Mr.  Winthrop  of  Boston  happier,  in  supposing  that 
it  yet  crosses  the  meridian,  every  day,  between  twelve  and 
one  o'clock,  that  it  has  already  passed  its  peripelion,  and 
that  it  may,  perhaps,  again  emerge  from  the  southern  hori- 
zon. This  comet  is  now  to  be  looked  for  nowhere  but  a 
little  to  the  north  of,  and  very  near  to  the  ecliptic.  It 
rises  now  a  little  before  day-break  ;  and  will  continue  to 
rise  sooner  and  sooner  every  morning." 


DAVID   RITTENHOUSE.  89 

In  March,  1771,  the  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  bore 
the  following  honorable  testimony  to  the  worth  of  Mr.  Rit- 
tenhouse. 

"  The  members  of  assembly,  having  viewed  the  orrery 
constructed  by  Mr.  David  Rittenhouse,  a  native  of  this 
province,  and  being  of  opinion  that  it  greatly  exceeds  all 
others  hitherto  constructed,  in  demonstrating  the  true 
situations  of  the  celestial  bodies,  their  magnitudes,  motions, 
distances,  periods,  eclipses,  and  order,  upon  the  principles 
of  the  Newtonian  system  ; 

''  Resolved ^  That  the  sum  of  three  hundred  pounds  be 
given  to  Mr.  Rittenhouse,  as  a  testimony  of  the  high  sense, 
which  this  house  entertain  of  his  mathematical  genius  and 
mechanical  abilities,  in  constructing  the  said  orrery." 

In  January,  1771,  Mr.  Rittenhouse  was  elected  one  of 
the  Secretaries  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society. 
In  1789,  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  was  con- 
ferred upon  Mr.  Rittenhouse  by  the  college  of  New  Jer- 
sey. In  January,  1791,  on  the  death  of  Dr.  Franklin,  Dr. 
Rittenhouse  was,  with  great  unanimity,  elected  President 
of  the  American  Philosophical  Society.  In  1795,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  Royal  Society  of  London.  This 
high  honor  had  been  previously  conferred  upon  only  three 
or  four  Americans. 

But  he  did  not  live  long  to  enjoy  his  distinguished 
honors.  Soon  after  his  entrance  upon  the  sixty-fifth  year 
of  his  age,  in  June,  1796,  he  died. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  Ashbel  Green,  being  pastor  of  the  con- 
gregation in  which  Dr.  Rittenhouse  had  often  attended 
divine  worship  during  the  latter  years  of  his  life,  pro- 
nounced an  appropriate  address  at  his  interment.  "  This," 
says  Dr.  Green,  "  is  emphatically  the  tomb  of  genius  and 
science.  Their  child,  their  martyr  is  here  deposited, — 
and  their  friends  will  make  his  eulogy  in  tears.  I  stand 
not  here  to  pronounce  it ;  the  thought  that  engrosses  my 


90  DAVID  RITTENHOUSE. 

mind  is  this  ;  how  much  more  clear  and  impressive  must 
be  tlie  views,  which  the  late  spiritual  inhabitant  of  that 
lifeless  corpse  now  possesses  of  God, — of  his  infinite 
existence,  of  his  adorable  attributes,  and  of  that  eternal 
blaze  of  glory  which  emanates  from  Him, — than  when  she 
was  blinded  by  her  vail  of  flesh  !  Accustomed  as  she  was 
to  penetrate  far  into  the  universe, — far  as  corporeal  or 
mental  vision  here  can  reach, — still  what  new  and  exten- 
sive scenes  of  wonder  have  opened  on  her  eyes,  enlight- 
ened and  invigorated  by  death  !  The  discoveries  of  Rit- 
TENHOUSE,  since  he  died,  have  already  been  more,  and 
greater,  than  while  he  lived.  Yes,  and  could  he  address 
us  from  the  spiritual  world,  his  language  would  be — 

'All,  all  on  earth  is  shadow,  all  beyond 
Is  substance. — '  " 

In  a  conversation  with  the  Rev.  Dr,  Sproat,  Dr.  Ritten- 
house,  a  short  time  before  his  death,  declared  that  "  he 
could  with  truth  say,  that  ever  since  he  had  examined 
Christianity  and  thought  upon  the  subject,  he  was  a  firm 
believer  in  it ;  and  that  he  expected  salvation  only  in  the 
way  of  the  gospel."  He  had  not  attached  himself  to  any 
particular  church.  The  members  of  his  family  were 
mostly  of  the  Society  of  Friends.  In  the  last  years  of  his 
life  he  read  many  books  on  natural  and  revealed  religion. 
He  was  much  pleased  with  the  "  Thoughts  of  Pascal." 

He  was  a  very  modest  and  unassuming  man,  and  in 
this  strikingly  resembled  Sir  Isaac  Newton,  for  whose 
character  and  works,  he  had  the  highest  veneration.  His 
usefulness,  though  great,  was  considerably  circumscribed 
by  his  want  of  an  early  education.  In  consequence  of 
this,  he  felt  an  unbecoming  diflidence  in  his  own  powers, 
and  failed  to  commit  his  discoveries  and  thoughts  to  writ- 
ing, which,  in  a  published  form,  would,  doubtless,  have 
eminently  increased  his  useftdness,  and  the  honor  of  the 
country,  which  gave  him  birth. 


SAMUEL  HUNTINGTON. 

Samuel  HuNTiNGTaN  was  born  in  Windham,  in  the 
State  of  Connecticut,  on  the  third  day  of  July,  1732.  The 
family  of  Huntingtons  emigrated  into'  this  country,  at  an 
early  period.  Nathaniel  Huntington,  the  father  of  Samuel, 
was  a  plain  but  estimable  man,  who  followed  the  occupa- 
tion of  farming,  in  the  town  of  Windham.  His  wife  was 
distinguished  for  piety  and  native  talent,  and  their  nume- 
rous children,  of  whom  three  devoted  themselves  to  the 
Christian  ministry,  were  endued  with  an  unusual  share  of 
mental  vigor.  Samuel,  however,  did  not  participate  in  the 
invaluable  benefits,  which  a  collegiate  education  conferred 
upon  his  brothers.  Being  the  eldest  son,  he  was  destined 
to  pursue  the  humble  but  honorable  course  of  his  father — 
the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  His  opportunities  of  acquiring 
knowledge  were  extremely  limited,  and  he  received  no 
other  education  than  the  common  schools  of  Connecticut 
at  that  time  afforded.  He  was  gifted,  however,  with  a 
fine  understanding,  and  with  a  strong  taste  for  mental  im- 
provement. He  employed  all  his  leisure  hours  in  reading 
and  study.  But  even  in  this  limited  and  imperfect  course, 
he  was  compelled  to  struggle  with  great  difficulties.  Books 
were  then  exceedingly  rare.  We,  who  live  in  the  nine- 
teenth century,  can  hardly  conceive  the  extent  of  the  des- 
titution of  books,  which  prevailed  even  in  the  time  of  the 


92  SAMUEL  HUNTINGTON. 

revolutionary  war.  The  whole  library,  of  which  some 
most  respectable  families  were  possessed,  consisted  of  a 
Psalter,  one  large  Bible,  and  two  or  three  of  smaller  size, 
Dil worth's  Spelling-Book,  an  Almanac,  and  perhaps  one 
volume  of  the  Berry  Street  (London)  Sermons.  Some 
families  contrived  to  obtain  a  few  additional  works,  but 
the  scarcity,  every  where,  was  very  great.  A  curious  proof 
of  this  is  found  in  the  life  of  President  Edwards,  in  which 
he  acknowledges  repeatedly  his  great  obligations  to  his 
foreign  correspondents  for  books  and  pamphlets,  which 
would  not  now  be  considered  worth  a  transmission  over 
the  Atlantic.  Social  or  public  libraries  were  almost  un- 
known, especially  in  the  smaller  towns. 

The  labors  of  the  farm,  which  young  Huntington  con- 
tinued to  perform,  until  the  twenty-second  year  of  his  age, 
necessarily  occupied  the  greater  portion  of  his  time,  yet 
his  strong  mind  and  unwearied  industry  enabled  him  to 
acquire  considerable  scientific  information  upon  various 
subjects.  At  the  age  of  twenty-two  years,  when  he  aban- 
doned his  agricultural  pursuits,  to  engage  in  the  study  of 
the  law,  he  had  acquired,  principally  from  his  own  unas- 
sisted exertions,  an  excellent  common  education.  He 
attained  considerable  acquaintance  with  the  Latin  lan- 
guage. It  does  not  appear  that  he  directed  his  attention 
to  any  other  foreign  tongue. 

He  early  manifested  a  strong  desire  to  study  the  legal 
profession.  He  resolved  "  to  thread  the  maze  of  the  law," 
with  no  other  guide  than  his  own  judgment  and  persever- 
ance, and  to  attain  to  distinguished  usefulness  by  industry 
and  self-denial.  It  is  probable  that  the  method  adopted 
by  him  arose  from  pecuniary  difficulties.  He  did  not 
attempt  to  seek  the  benefits  of  legal  tuition  in  the  office  of 
a  lawyer,  but  borrowed  the  necessary  books  from  Colonel 
Jedidiah  Elderkin,  a  member  of  the  profession,  residing 
in  Norwich.     Having  attained  a  competent  knowledge  of 


SAMUEL  HUINTINGTON.  93 

the  general  principles  of  law,  he  commenced  his  profes- 
sional career  in  the  town  of  Windham.  In  17G0,  he  re- 
moved to  Norwich.  His  reputation  as  an  advocate  and  a 
man  of  talents,  was  soon  established.  Aided  by  a  candid 
and  deliberate  manner,  which  appeared  in  some  degree 
constitutional,  few  lawyers  commanded  a  more  extensive 
practice.  He  was  known  to  be  a  man  of  good  sense,  in- 
tegrity, and  punctuality.  In  1774,  Mr.  Huntington  was 
appointed  an  Associate  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court.  In 
1775,  in  conjunction  with  Roger  Sherman,  Titus  Hosmer, 
Oliver  Wolcott,  and  William  Williams,  Mr.  Huntington 
took  his  seat  in  the  General  Congress.  In  July,  1776,  he 
affixed  his  name  to  the  immortal  instrument,  which  de- 
clared our  independence. 

He  retained  his  seat  in  Congress,  till  1780.  His  stern 
integrity,  and  inflexible  patriotism,  rendered  him  a  promi- 
nent member,  and  attracted  a  large  portion  of  the  current 
business  of  the  house,  especially  that  w^hich  was  assigned 
to  committees.  On  the  28th  of  September,  1779,  on 
the  resignation  of  John  Jay,  Mr.  Huntington  was  chosen 
to  the  highest  civil  dignity  of  the  country — that  of  Presi- 
dent of  Congress.  In  1781,  he  declined  are-appointment 
on  account  of  ill  health.  He  then  resumed  his  judicial 
functions  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  Connecticut.  In  1 783, 
he  again  took  his  seat  in  Congress.  In  1784,  he  was 
appointed  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  Connec- 
ticut. He  presided  on  the  bench  with  great  ability,  in- 
tegrity, and  reputation.  In  1786,  he  succeeded  Governor 
Griswold,  as  Chief  Magistrate  of  the  State,  and  continued 
to  be  re-elected,  with  singular  unanimity,  till  his  death. 

He  closed  his  life  at  Norwich,  on  the  5th  of  January, 
1796,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age.  His  death  was 
tranquil  and  exemplary,  and  his  religious  confidence  gen- 
erally firm  and  unwavering. 

For  many  years  he  had  been  a  professor  of  religion,  and 


94  SAMUEL  HUNTINGTON. 

appeared  to  derive  great  delight  from  the  doctrines  and 
ordinances  of  the  gospel.  When  the  congregation,  with 
which  he  worshipped,  was  destitute  of  preaching,  he  offi- 
ciated as  a  reader  and  conductor  of  the  services. 

Perhaps  no  man  ever  possessed  greater  mildness  and 
equanimity,  than  Governor  Huntington.  A  living  witness 
attests,  that  during  a  residence  of  twenty-four  years  in  his 
family,  he  never,  in  a  single  instance,  exhibited  the  slight- 
est symptom  of  anger,  nor  spoke  one  word  calculated  to 
wound  the  feelings  of  another,  or  to  injure  an  absent  per- 
son. Notwithstanding  his  elevation,  he  had  none  of  that 
false  pride,  which  dignity  and  honors  are  so  apt  to  create. 
After  performing  the  business  of  his  office,  and  instructing 
numerous  students  in  the  principles  of  law,  he  was  accus- 
tomed, if  any  garden  or  household  utensils  had  been  bro- 
ken, to  repair  them  wdth  his  own  hands  ;  and  rather  than 
require  the  attendance  of  a  servant  for  any  trivial  services, 
he  would  perform  them  himself  Being  a  man  of  great 
simplicity  and  plainness  of  manners,  he  maintained  that 
it  was  a  public  duty  to  exhibit  such  an  example  as  might, 
so  far  as  his  individual  efforts  could  avail,  counteract  the 
spirit  of  extravagance,  which  had  begun  to  appear.  He 
was  very  economical,  though  not  parsimonious,  in  his  per- 
sonal habits  and  domestic  arrangements.  His  distin- 
guishing characteristics,  both  in  conversation  and  in 
epistolary  correspondence,  were  brevity  and  caution. 

In  17G'2,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  Devotion,  a 
daughter  of  the  very  respectable  clergyman  of  the  town  of 
Windham.  Having  no  children  of  their  own,  they  adopted 
two  children  of  their  brother's,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Hunting- 
ton. The  late  Samuel  Huntington,  Governor  of  Ohio, 
and  Mrs.  Griffin,  the  lady  of  the  venerable  President  of 
Williams  College,  were  the  individuals  who  supplied  the 
deficiency  in  his  family,  and  were  privileged  with  his 
excellent  example  and  instructions. 


WILLIAM   EDWARDS. 

William  Edwards,  the  celebrated  Welsh  engineer, 
was  born  in  1719,  in  the  parish  of  Eglwysan,  in  Glamor- 
ganshire. He  lost  his  father,  who  was  a  farmer,  when  he 
was  only  two  years  old  ;  but  his  mother  continued  to  hold 
the  farm,  and  was,  in  this  manner,  enabled  to  bring  up 
her  family,  consisting  of  two  other  sons  and  a  daughter, 
besides  William,  who  was  the  youngest.  Her  other  sons, 
indeed,  were  soon  old  enough  to  take  the  chief  part  of  her 
charge  from  her  hands.  William  was  taught,  in  the  mean 
time,  to  read  and  write  Welsh  ;  and  this  was  all  the  edu- 
cation which  he  seems  to  have  received.  When  about 
the  age  of  fifteen,  he  first  began  to  employ  himself  in 
repairing  the  stone  fences  on  the  farm  ;  and  in  this  hum- 
ble species  of  masonry  he  soon  acquired  uncommon 
expertness.  The  excellent  work  he  made,  and  the  des- 
patch with  which  he  finished  it,  at  last  attracted  the  notice 
of  the  neighboring  farmers  ;  and  they  advised  his  brothers 
to  keep  him  at  this  business,  and  to  let  him  employ  his 
skill,  when  wanted,  on  other  farms,  as  well  as  their  own. 
After  this  he  was  for  some  time  constantly  engaged  ;  and 
he  regularly  added  his  earnings  to  the  common  stock  of 
the  family. 

Hitherto,  the  only  sort  of  building,  which  he  had  prac- 
tised, or  had   seen  practised,  was  merely  stone-masonry 


96  WILLIAM  EDWARDS. 

without  mortar.  But  at  length  it  happened  that  some  ma- 
sons came  to  the  parish  to  erect  a  shed,  for  shoeing  horses, 
near  a  smith's  shop.  WilUam  contemplated  the  operations 
of  these  architects  with  the  liveliest  interest,  and  he  used 
to  stand  by  them  for  hours  while  they  were  at  work,  taking 
note  of  every  movement  which  they  made.  A  circum- 
stance, which  at  once  struck  him,  was  that  they  used  a 
different  description  of  hammer  from  what  he  had  been 
accustomed  to  employ  ;  and  perceiving  its  superiority,  he 
immediately  procured  one  of  the  same  kind,  for  himself 
With  this  he  found  he  could  build  his  walls  both  more 
rapidly  and  more  neatly  than  he  had  been  wont  to  do. 
But  it  was  not  long  after  he  had,  for  the  first  time  in  his 
life,  an  opportunity  of  seeing  how  houses  were  erected, 
that  he  undertook  to  build  one  himself.  It  was  a  work- 
shop for  a  neighbor  ;  and  he  performed  his  task  in  such  a 
manner  as  gained  him  great  applause.  Very  soon  after 
this,  he  was  employed  to  erect  a  mill,  by  which  he  still 
further  increased  his  reputation.  He  was  now  accounted 
the  best  workman  in  that  part  of  the  country,  and  being 
highly  esteemed  for  integrity  and  fidelity  to  his  engage- 
ments, as  well  as  for  his  skill,  he  had  as  much  employ- 
ment in  his  line  of  a  common  builder  as  he  could  under- 
take. In  his  twenty-seventh  year,  however,  he  was  in- 
duced to  engage  in  an  enterprize  of  a  much  more  difficult 
and  important  character  than  anything  which  he  had 
hitherto  attempted.  Through  his  native  parish  runs  a 
river  called  the  Taff,  which  flows  into  the  estuary  of  the 
Severn.  It  was  proposed  to  throw  a  bridge  over  this  river 
at  a  particular  spot,  where  it  crossed  the  line  of  an  in- 
tended road  ;  but  to  this  design  difliculties  of  a  somewhat 
formidable  nature  presented  themselves,  owing  both  to 
the  great  breadth  of  the  water,  and  the  frequent  swell- 
ings to  which  it  was  subject.  Mountains,  covered  with 
wood,  rose  to  a  considerable  height,  from  both  its  banks ; 


WILLIAM  EDWARDS.  97 

which  first  attracted  and  detained  every  approaching  cloud, 
and  then  sent  down  its  contents  in  torrents  into  the  river. 
Edwards,  however,  undertook  the  task  of  constructing  the 
proposed  bridge,  though  it  was  the  first  work  of  the  kind 
in  which  he  had  ever  engaged.  Accordingly,  in  the  year 
1746,  he  set  to  work ;  and  in  due  time,  completed  a  very 
light  and  elegant  bridge,  of  three  arches,  which,  notwith- 
standing that  it  was  the  work  of  both  an  entirely  self-taught, 
and  an  equally  untravelled  artist,  was  acknowledged  to  be 
superior  to  anything  of  the  kind  in  Wales.  So  far  his 
success  had  been  as  perfect  as  anything  which  could  be 
desired.  But  his  undertaking  was  far  from  being  yet 
finished.  He  had  both  through  himself  and  his  friends 
given  security  that  the  work  should  stand  for  seven  years ; 
and  for  the  first  two  and  a  half  .years  of  this  term,  all  went 
on  well.  There  then  occurred  a  flood  of  extraordinary 
magnitude  ;  not  only  the  torrents  came  down  from  the 
mountains,  in  their  accustomed  channels,  but  they  brought 
along  with  them  trees  of  the  largest  size,  which  they  had 
torn  up  by  the  roots  ;  and  these,  detained  as  they  floated 
along  by  the  middle  piers  of  the  new  bridge,  formed  a  dam 
there  ;  the  waters  accumulating  behind,  at  length  burst 
from  their  confinement,  and  swept  away  the  whole  struc- 
ture. This  was  no  light  misfortune  in  every  way  to  poor 
Edwards;  but  he  did  not  suffer  himself  to  be  disheartened 
by  it,  and  he  immediately  proceeded  as  his  contract  bound 
him  to  do,  to  the  erection  of  another  bridge.  He  now 
determined,  however,  to  span  the  whole  width  of  the  river, 
by  a  single  arch  of  the  unexampled  magnitude  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  feet  from  pier  to  pier.  He  finished  the 
erection  of  this  stupendous  arch  in  1751,  and  had  only  to 
add  the  parapets,  when  he  was  doomed  once  more  to  be- 
hold his  bridge  sink  into  the  water  over  which  he  had 
raised  it,  the  extraordinary  weight  of  the  masonry  having 
forced  up  the  key-stones,  and,  of  course,  at  once  deprived 
9 


98  WILLIAM  EDWARDS. 

the  arch  of  what  sustained  its  equipoise.  Heavy  as  was 
this  second  disappointment  to  the  hopes  of  the  young 
architect,  it  did  not  shake  his  courage  any  more  than  the 
former  had  done.  The  reconstruction  of  his  bridge,  for 
the  third  time,  was  immediately  begun  with  unabated  spirit 
and  confidence.  Still  determined  to  adhere  to  his  last 
plan  of  a  single  arch,  he  had  now  thought  of  an  ingenious 
contrivance  for  diminishing  the  enormous  weight  which 
had  formerly  forced  the  key-stone  out  of  its  place.  In 
each  of  the  large  masses  of  masonry,  called  the  haunches 
of  the  bridge,  being  the  parts  immediately  above  the  two 
extremities  of  the  arch,  he  opened  three  cylindrical  holes, 
which  not  only  relieved  the  central  part  of  the  structure 
from  all  over-pressure,  but  greatly  improved  its  general 
appearance  in  point  of  lightness  and  elegance.  This 
bridge  was  finished  in  1755  ;  the  whole  undertaking  hav- 
ing occupied  the  architect  about  nine  years  in  all ;  and  it 
has  stood  ever  since. 

This  bridge,  at  the  time  of  its  erection,  was  the  largest 
stone-arch  known  to  exist  in  the  world.  Since  that  time, 
stone  arches  of  extraordinary  dimensions  have  been  built — 
such  as  the  five  arches  composing  the  splendid  Pont  de 
Neuilly  over  the  Seine  near  Paris,  the  span  of  each  of  which 
is  a  hundred  and  twenty-eight  feet— the  island  bridge 
over  the  Liffey,  near  Dublin,  which  is  a  single  arch  of  a 
hundred  and  six  feet  in  width— the  bridge  over  the  Tees,  at 
Winston,  in  Yorkshire,  which  is  also  a  single  arch  of  a  hun- 
dred and  eight  feet  nine  inches  in  width,  and  which  was 
built  by  John  Johnson,  a  common  mason,  at  a  cost  of  only 
five  hundred  pounds — and  the  nine  elliptical  arches,  each 
of  a  hundred  and  twenty  feet  span,  forming  the  magnificent 
Waterloo  bridge,  over  the  Thames,  at  London.  A  bridge 
is  now  building  at  Chester,  which  is  the  largest  single  arch 
in  the  world,  being  two  hundred  feet  span. 

At  Bishop's  Wearmouth,  in  the  county  of  Durham,  there 


WILLIAM  EDWARDS.  99 

is  a  cast  iron  bridge,  over  the  river  Wear,  the  chord  of 
the  arch  of  which  is  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  long. 
The  Southwark  or  Trafalgar  bridge,  ~over  the  Thames  at 
London  is,  at  present,  the  finest  iron  bridge  in  the  world. 
It  consists  of  three  arches.  The  chord  of  the  middle  arch 
is  two  hundred  and  forty  feet  long.  There  is  a  timber 
bridge  over  the  Delaware,  near  Trenton,  in  New  Jersey, 
which  is  the  segment  of  a  circle  three  hundred  and  forty-five 
feet  in  diameter.  The  timber  bridge  over  the  Schuylkill, 
at  Philadelphia,  is  of  the  extraordinary  span  of  three  hun- 
dred and  forty  feet.  The  bridge  over  the  Piscataqua,  near 
Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire,  is  the  segment  of  a  circle 
six  hundred  feet  in  diameter. 

The  bridge,  built  by  Edwards  over  the  Taff,  buttressed 
as  it  is  at  each  extremity  by  lofty  mountains,  while  the 
water  flows  in  full  tide  beneath  it,  at  the  distance  of  thirty- 
five  feet,  presents  an  aspect  very  striking  and  magnificent. 

This  bridge  spread  the  fame  of  Edwards  over  all  the 
country.  He  afterwards  built  many  bridges  in  South 
Wales,  having  their  arches  formed  of  segments  of  much 
larger  circles,  and  consequently  much  more  convenient. 
He  found  his  way  to  this  improvement  entirely  by  his  own 
experience  and  sagacity  ;  as  indeed  he  may  be  said  to 
have  done  in  regard  to  all  the  knowledge  which  he  pos- 
sessed in  his  art.  Even  his  principles  of  common  masonry, 
he  used  himself  to  declare,  he  had  learned  chiefly  from 
his  studies  among  the  ruins  of  an  old-gothic  castle  in  his 
native  parish. 

Edwards  was  likewise  a  farmer,  to  the  end  of  his  days. 
Such,  moreover,  was  his  unwearied  activity  that,  not  satisfied 
with  his  week-day  labors  in  these  two  capacities,  he  also 
oflSciated  on  the  Sabbath  as  pastor  to  an  Independent  con- 
gregation, having  been  regularly  ordained  to  that  office 
when  he  was  about  thirty  years  of  age,  and  holding  it  till 
his  death.     He  accepted  the  usual  salary  from  his  congre- 


100  WILLIAM  EDWARDS. 

gation,  considering  it  right  that  they  should  support  their 
minister  ;  but  instead  of  putting  the  money  into  his  own 
pocket,  he  returned  it  all,  and  often  much  more,  in  charity 
to  the  poor.  He  always  preached  in  Welsh,  though  early 
in  life  he  had  made  himself  acquainted  with  the  English 
language,  having  acquired  it  under  the  tuition  of  a  blind 
^  old  schoolmaster,  in  whose  house  he  once  lodged  for  a 
short  time,  while  doing  some  work  at  the  county  town  of 
Cardiff.  In  this  effort  he  showed  all  his  characteristic 
assiduity. 

He  died  in  1789,  in  the  70th  year  of  his  age.  His 
eldest  son  David,  became  also  an  eminent  architect  and 
bridge-builder,  though  he  had  no  other  instruction  in  his 
profession,  than  what  his  father  had  given  him.  David's 
eldest  son  also  inherited  the  genius  of  his  father  and  grand- 
father. 


KOBERT  BLOOMFIELD. 

Robert  Bloomfield,  the  author  of  the  '  Farmer's  Boy,' 
was  born  in  17(56,  at  a  small  village  in  Suffolk,  England. 
His  father  died  before  Robert  was  a  year  old.  His  mother 
was  left  with  the  charge  of  five  other  children.  In  these 
circumstances,  in  order  to  obtain  a  maintenance  for  her- 
self and  her  family,  she  opened  a  school,  and,  of  course, 
taught  her  own  children  the  elements  of  reading,  along 
with  those  of  her  neighbors.  The  only  school  education 
which  Robert  ever  received,  in  addition  to  what  his  mother 
gave  him,  was  two  or  three  months  instruction  in  writing 
at  a  school  in  the  town  of  Ixworth.  At  the  time  when  he 
was  sent  to  this  seminary,  he  was  in  his  seventh  year  ; 
and  he  was  taken  away  so  soon  in  consequence  of  the 
second  marriage  of  his  mother.  Her  new  husband,  proba- 
bly, did  not  choose  to  be  at  any  expense  in  educating  the 
children  of  his  predecessor. 

We  have  no  account  in  what  manner  Robert  spent  his 
time  from  his  seventh  to  his  eleventh  year  ;  but  at  this  age 
he  was  taken  into  the  service  of  a  brother  of  his  mother,  a 
Mr.  Austin,  who  was  a  respectable  farmer  on  the  lands  of 
the  duke  of  Grafton.  His  uncle  treated  him  exactly  as  he 
did  his  other  servants,  but  that  was  kindly,  and  just  as  he 
treated  his  own  sons.  Robert,  like  all  the  rest  of  the 
household,  labored  as  hard  as  he  was  able  ;  but  on  the 
9* 


102  ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD. 

Other  hand,  he  was  comfortably  fed  and  lodged,  although 
his  board  seems  to  have  been  all  he  received  for  his  work. 
His  mother  undertook  to  provide  him  with  the  few  clothes 
which  he  needed,  and  this  was  more  than  she  well  knew 
how  to  do.  Indeed  she  found  so  much  difficulty  in  fulfill- 
ing her  engagement,  that  she  at  length  wrote  to  two  of  her 
eldest  sons,  who  were  employed  in  London  as  shoemakers, 
requesting  them  to  assist  her,  by  tr}^ing  to  do  something 
for  their  brother,  who  ''  was  so  small  of  his  age,"  she 
added,  "  that  Mr.  Austin  said  that  he  was  not  likely  to  be 
able  to  get  his  living  by  hard  labor."  To  this  application 
her  son  George  wrote-  in  reply,  that  if  she  would  let  Robert 
come  to  town,  he  would  teach  him  to  make  shoes,  and  his 
other  brother,  Nathaniel,  would  clothe  him.  The  anxious 
and  affectionate  mother  assented  to  this  proposal  ;  but  she 
could  not  be  satisfied  without  accompanying  her  son  to 
the  metropolis,  and  puttings  him  herself  into  his  brother's 
hands.  "  She  charged  me,"  writes  Mr.  George  Bloom- 
field,  "  as  I  valued  a  mother's  blessing,  to  watch  over  him, 
to  set  good  examples  for  him,  and  never  to  forget  that  he 
had  lost  his  father." 

When  Robert  came  to  London  he  was  in  his  fifteenth 
year.  What  acquaintance  he  had  with  books,  at  this  time, 
is  not  stated,  but  it-  must  have  been  extremely  scanty. 
We  find  no  notice,  indeed,  of  his  having  been  in  the  habit 
of  reading  at  all,  while  he  was  with  Mr.  Austin.  The 
place  in  which  the  boy  was  received  by  his  two  brothers, 
was  a  garret  in  a  Court  in  Bell  Alley,  Coleman  Street, 
where  they  had  two  turn-up  beds,  and  five  of  them  worked 
together.  "  As  we  were  all  single  men,"  says  George, 
*'  lodgers  at  a  shilling  per  week  each,  our  beds  were  coarse, 
and  all  things  far  from  being  clean  and  snug,  like  what 
Robert  had  left  at  Sapiston.  Robert  was  our  man  to 
fetch  all  things  to  hand.  At  noon  he  brought  our  dinners 
from  the  cook's  shop;  and  any  one  of  our  fellow  workmen. 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD.  X03 

that  wanted  to  have  anything  brought  in,  would  send  Rob- 
ert, and  assist  in  his  work,  and  teach  him  for  a  recom- 
pense for  his  trouble.  Every  day  when  the  boy  from  the 
public  house  came  for  the  pewter  pots,  and  to  learn  what 
porter  was  wanted,  he  always  brought  the  yesterday's 
newspaper.  The  reading  of  this  newspaper,  we  had  been 
used  to  take  by  turns  ;  but  after  Robert  came,  he  mostly 
read  for  us,  because  his  time  was  of  the  least  value." 
The  writer  goes  on  to  state,  that  in  this  his  occupation  of 
reader  of  the  newspapers,  Robert  frequently  met  with  words 
which  were  new  to  him,  and  which  he  did  not  understand, 
a  circumstance  of  which  he  often  complained.  So  one 
day  his  brother,  happening  to  see,  on  a  book-stall,  a 
small  English  dictionary,  which  had  been  very  ill  used, 
bought  it  for  him,  for  four-pence.  This  volume  was  to 
Robert  a  valuable  treasure  ;  and  by  consulting  and  study- 
ing it,  he  soon  learned  to  comprehend  perfectly,  what- 
ever he  read.  The  pronunciation  of  some  of  the  hard 
words,  however,  caused  him  much  trouble  ;  but  by  an 
auspicious  circumstance  he  was  at  length  put  into  the  way 
of  having  his  difficulties  here  also  considerably  diminished. 
One  Sabbath  evening,  he  and  his  brother  chanced  to  walk 
into  a  dissenting  meeting-house  in  the  Old  Jewry,  where 
an  individual  of  great  popularity  and  talent  was  delivering 
a  discourse.  This  was  Mr.  Fawcet.  His  manner  was 
highly  rhetorical.  Robert  was  so  much  struck  by  his 
oratory,  that  from  this  time,  he  made  a  point  of  regularly 
attending  the  chapel  every  Sabbath  evening.  In  addition 
to  the  higher  improvement  of  Mr.  Fawcet's  discourses,  he 
learnt  from  him  the  proper  accentuation  of  difficult  words, 
which  he  had  little  chance  of  hearing  pronounced  else- 
where. He  also  accompanied  his  brother  sometimes, 
though  not  often,  to  a  debating  society.  Besides  the 
newspapers,  too,  he  at  this  time  read  aloud  to  his  brothers 
and  their  fellow  workmen   several   books  of  considerable 


104  ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD. 

extent — a  history  of  England,  British  traveller,  and  a 
geography — a  sixpenny  number  of  each  of  which  in  folio, 
they  took  in  every  week.  Robert  spent  in  this  way  about 
as  many  hours  every  week  in  reading,  as  boys  generally 
do  in  play. 

These  studies,  even  though  somewhat  reluctantly  applied 
to  by  Robert,  doubtless  had  considerable  effect  in  augment- 
ing the  boy's  knowledge,  and  otherwise  enlarging  his 
mind.  But  it  was  a  work  different  from  any  of  those 
which  have  been  mentioned,  which  first  awakened  his 
literary  genius.  "  I  at  this  time,"  says  Mr.  George  Bloom- 
field,  "  read  the  London  Magazine,  and  in  that  work  about 
two  sheets  were  set  apart  for  a  Review.  Robert  seemed 
always  eager  to  read  this  Review.  Here  he  could  see  what 
the  literary  men  were  doing,  and  learn  how  to  judge  of  the 
merits  of  the  works  which  came  out ;  and  I  observed  that 
he  always  looked  at  the  poet's  corner.  One  day  he  re- 
peated a  song  which  he  composed  to  an  old  tune.  I  was 
much  surprised  that  he  should  make  so  smooth  verses  ;  so  I 
persuaded  him  to  try  whether  the  editor  of  our  paper  would 
give  them  a  place  in  the  poet's  corner.  He  succeeded, 
and  they  were  printed.  After  this,  Bloomfield  contributed 
other  pieces  to  the  same  publication  into  which  his  verses 
had  been  admitted  ;  and  under  the  impulse  of  its  newly 
kindled  excitement,  his  mind  would  seem  to  have  suddenly 
made  a  start  forwards,  which  could  not  escape  the  obser- 
vation of  his  associates.  His  brother  and  fellow  workmen 
in  the  garret,  began  to  get  instruction  from  him.  Shortly 
after,  upon  removing  to  other  lodgings,  they  found  them- 
selves in  the  same  apartment  with  a  singular  character ;  a 
person  named.James  Kay,  a  native  of  Dundee.  He  was 
a  middle  aged  man,  and  of  a  good  understanding.  He 
had  many  books,  and  some  which  he  did  not  value ;  such 
as  The  Seasons,  Paradise  Lost,  and  some  novels.  These 
books  he  lent  to  Robert,  who  spent  all  his  leisure  hours 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD.  105 

in  reading  Tiie  Seasons.  In  this  book  he  took  great  de- 
light. This  first  inspired  him,  in  all  probability,  with  the 
thought  of  composing  a  long  poem  on  rural  subjects. 
The  design  was  also  favored,  in  some  degree,  by  a  visit  of 
two  months,  which  he  was  induced  to  pay  about  this  time 
to  his  native  district.  On  this  occasion,  his  old  master, 
Mr.  Austin,  kindly  invited  him  to  make  his  house  his 
home  ;  and  the  opportunity  he  thus  had  of  reviewing,  with 
a  more  informed  eye,  the  scenes  in  which  he  had  spent  his 
early  years,  could  hardly  fail  to  act,  with  a  powerful  effect, 
in  exciting  his  imagination.  It  was  at  last  arranged  that 
he  should  be  taken  as  an  apprentice  by  his  brother's  land- 
lord, who  was  a  freeman  of  the  city  ;  and  he  returned  to 
London.  He  was  at  this  time  eighteen  years  of  age.  It 
was  not  intended  that  his  master  should  ever  avail  himself 
of  the  power  which  the  indentures  gave  him,  and  he  be- 
haved in  this  matter  very  honorably.  Robert,  in  two 
years  more,  learnt  to  work  very  expertly  at  the  shoe- 
making  business.  For  some  years  after  this,  his  literary 
performances  seem  to  have  amounted  merely  to  a  few 
effusions  in  verse,  which  he  used  generally  to  transmit  in 
letters  to  his  brother,  who  had  now  gone  to  live  at  Bury 
St.  Edmunds,  in  his  native  county.  Meanwhile  he  studied 
music,  and  became  a  good  player  on  the  violin. 

About  this  time  he  was  married,  and  hired  a  room  in  the 
second  story  of  a  house  in  Coleman  Street.  The  landlord 
gave  him  leave  to  work  at  his  trade  in  the  light  garret  two 
pair  of  stairs  higher. 

It  was  while  he  sat  plying  his  trade  in  the  garret,  in  Bell 
Alley,  with  six  or  seven  other  workmen  around  him,  that 
Bloomfield  composed  the  work  which  first  made  his  talents 
generally  known,  and  for  which  principally  he  continues 
to  be  remembered, — his  '  Farmer's  Boy.'  It  is  a  very  in- 
teresting fact,  that,  notwithstanding  the  many  elements  of 
disturbance  and  interruption  in  the   midst  of  which  the 


X06  ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD. 

author  must,  in  such  a  situation,  have  had  to  proceed 
through  his  task,  nearly  the  half  of  this  poem  was  com- 
pleted before  he  committed  a  line  of  it  to  paper.  This  is 
an  uncommon  instance  both  of  memory  and  of  self-abstrac- 
tion. His  feat,  on  this  occasion,  appears  to  have  amounted 
to  the  composing  and  recollecting  of  nearly  six  hundred 
lines,  without  the  aid  of  any  record ;  the  production  of 
all  this  poetry,  in  the  circumstances  which  have  been 
mentioned,  perhaps  deserves  to  be  accounted  a  still  more 
wonderful  achievement  than  its  retention. 

When  the  '  Farmer's  Boy'  was  finished,  in  April,  1788, 
it  was  submitted  to  several  booksellers  and  other  persons 
in  London,  none  of  whom,  however,  probably  took  the 
trouble  of  even  examining  the  unrecommended  production. 
At  last,  in  November  of  the  same  year,  it  was  forwarded 
by  Mr.  George  Bloomfield  to  the  late  Mr.  Capel  Lofft,  who 
then  resided  on  his  estate  in  the  immediate  neighborhood 
of  the  poet's  birth  place.  The  poem  was  accompanied  by 
a  letter  containing  the  narrative  of  the  author's  life.  In- 
duced, probably  in  part,  to  look  into  the  manuscript  by  the 
circumstance  of  its  being  a  production  of  a  native  of 
Suffolk,  Mr.  Lofft  soon  found  the  work  to  be  well  deserv- 
ing of  attention  on  its  own  account.  He  immediately 
entered  into  correspondence  with  the  author  ;  and  the 
result  was  the  publication  of  the  poem,  in  the  month  of 
March,  1800,  after  a  few  provincialisms  and  grammatical 
errors,  by  which  it  was  disfigured,  had  been  corrected.  It 
immediately  became  very  popular,  owing  in  part,  doubtless, 
to  the  extraordinary  circumstances  in  which  it  was  pro- 
duced, but  very  much  to  its  intrinsic  merits.  Within  the 
first  three  years  after  its  appearance,  seven  editions,  com- 
prising in  all  twenty-six  thousand  copies,  had  been  printed  ; 
and  new  impressions  have  since  been  repeatedly  called  for. 
It  was  early  translated  into  French,  and  Italian,  and  a  part 
of  it  into  Latin.     "  It  derives  its  principal  value  from  its 


ROBERT  BLOOMFIELD. 


107 


strict  adherence  to  truth  and  nature.  The  writer,  in  fact, 
has  drawn  his  own  portrait  in  the  '  Farmer's  Boy,'  and 
described  the  scenes  and  events  which  he  actually  wit- 
nessed. Hence,  there  is  a  degree  of  spirit  and  originality 
in  the  poem  which  renders  it  very  pleasing.  The  versifi- 
cation is  uncommonly  smooth  and  correct."  Bloomfield 
also  wrote  a  volume  entitled  *  Wild  Flowers,'  which  was 
well  received,  and  was  not  unworthy  of  his  reputation. 
His  latest  work,  '  Hazlewood  Hall,'  a  village  drama,  does 
not  possess  much  merit.  Bloomfield  was  patronized  by 
the  duke  of  Grafton,  who  bestowed  on  him  a  small  annuity, 
and  made  him  an  under  sealer  in  the  seal  office.  It  is 
gratifying  to  know  that  those  excellent  and  affectionate 
relations,  his  mother  and  brother,  both  lived  to  witness  the 
prosperity  of  him  who  had  been  to  each,  in  other  days, 
the  object  of  so  much  anxious  care.  It  was  the  dearest  of 
the  poet's  gratifications,  when  his  book  was  printed,  to 
present  a  copy  of  it  to  his  mother,  to  whom  upon  that  oc- 
casion, he  had  it  in  his  power,  for  the  first  time,  to  pay  a 
visit,  after  twelve  years'  absence  from  his  native  village. 

His  situation  in  the  seal  office  he  was  forced  to  resign, 
on  account  of  ill  health.  He  then  worked  again  at  his 
trade  as  a  shoe-maker,  and  employed  himself  in  construct- 
ing yEolian  harps.  Engaging  in  the  book-trade,  he  be- 
came a  bankrupt,  and,  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  was 
afflicted  with  violent  head-aches,  and  became  nearly  blind. 
His  death  took  place  on  the  19th  of  August,  1823,  in  the 
fifty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 


THOMAS  SCOTT. 

It  is  not  our  object  to  write  the  life,  or  even  to  abridge 
the  interesting  Memoir  of  this  venerated  man.  We  shall 
simply  collect  such  facts  as  bear  on  the  design  of  our  pre- 
sent undertaking,  incorporating  such  remarks  as  may 
seem  timely  and  important. 

"  My  father,"  says  Dr.  Scott  "  was  a  grazier,  a  man  of 
a  small  and  feeble  body,  but  of  uncommon  energy  of  mind 
and  vigor  of  intellect ;  by  which  he  surmounted,  in  no 
common  degree,  the  almost  total  want  of  education.  His 
circumstances  were  very  narrow,  and  for  many  years  he 
struggled  with  urgent  difficulties.  But  he  rose  above 
them,  and,  though  never  affluent,  his  credit  was  supported, 
and  he  lived  in  more  comfortable  circumstances  to  the  age 
of  seventy-six  years.  He  had  thirteen  children,  ten  of 
whom  lived  to  maturity  ;  and  my  eldest  brother  was  twenty- 
three  years  older  than  my  youngest  sister.  Having  been 
taught,  principally  by  my  mother,  to  read  fluently  and  to 
spell  accurately,  I  learned  the  first  elements  of  Latin  at 
Burgh,  two  miles  off,  at  a  school  to  which,  for  a  while,  I 
went  as  a  day  scholar.  But  at  eight  years  of  age  I  was 
sent  to  Bennington,  a  village  about  four  miles  north  of 
Boston,  where  my  father  had  a  grazing  farm,  that  I  might 
attend  a  school  in  the  parish  kept  by  a  clergyman.  Here 
I   continued  about  two  years  ;  and,  in  addition  to  writing, 


THOMAS  SCOTT.  109 

and  the  first  rudiments  of  arithmetic,  I  learned  a  little 
Latin,  at  my  master's  desire,  who  thought  he  saw  in  me 
a  turn  for  that  kind  of  learning.  He  had,  as  I  recollect, 
no  other  Latin  scholar." 

About  this  time  his  eldest  brother,  who  was  a  surgeon 
in  the  navy,  died.  "My  father,"  continues  the  narrative, 
^*  felt  this  event,  as,  in  every  way,  a  most  heavy  affliction. 
He  determined,  however,  if  possible,  to  have  a  son  in  the 
medical  profession  ;  and,  as  I  was  thought  of  the  proper  age, 
and  seemed  capable  of  readily  learning  Latin,  I  was  selected. 
From  this  time  my  attention  was  almost  entirely  directed 
to  that  language  ;  and,  at  different  places,  I  got  a  superfi- 
cial knowledge  of  several  books  generally  read  at  schools  ; 
which  gave  the  appearance  of  far  greater  proficiency  than 
I  had  actually  made.  At  ten  years  of  age  I  was  sent  to 
Scorton,  where  my  brother  had  been  before  me  ;  and 
there  I  remained  five  years,  without  returning  home,  or 
seeing  any  relation  or  acquaintance.  The  whole  expense 
of  boarding  and  clothing  me  amounted  to  =£14  a  year ; 
two  guineas  were  paid  for  teaching,  books  being  found ; 
there  were  some  extra  charges  for  writing,  arithmetic,  and 
French,  and  some  expenses  for  medical  assistance ;  but  I 
have  often  heard  my  father  mention  that  I  cost  him  =£17 
a  year  for  five  years.  I  think  he  must  have  underrated 
the  sum,  but  I  am  fully  satisfied  that  .£100  more  than 
covered  all  the  charges  of  the  five  years  ;  and  this  was 
all  the  cost  of  my  education. 

"  The  Rev.  John  Noble  was  head-master  of  the  school 
at  Scorton.  He  had  been,  in  his  day,  indisputably,  an 
able  teacher  of  the  learned  languages  :  but  at  this  time  he 
was  old  and  lethargic ;  and,  though  still  assiduous,  was 
most  grossly  imposed  upon  by  the  boys,  and  by  none 
more  than  by  myself.  When  I  arrived  at  Scorton,  I  was 
asked  what  Latin  books  I  had  read  ;  and  my  answer  in- 
duced the  usher  to  overrate  my  proficiency,  and  to  place 
10 


110  THOMAS  SCOTT. 

me  in  a  class  much  beyond  my  superficial  attainments. 
This,  however,  stimulated  me  to  close  application,  and  it 
was  not  very  long  before  I  overtook  my  class-mates,  and 
with  ease  accompanied  them.  Had  I  then,  been  again 
pushed  forward,  I  might  have  been  excited  to  persevering 
diligence  ;  but  as  I  could  appear  with  laudable  credit, 
without  much  application ;  partly  by  actual  proficiency, 
and  partly  by  imposing  on  Mr.  Noble,  under  whose  care 
I  now  came  ;  my  love  of  play,  and  my  scarcity  of  money 
for  self-indulgent  expenses,  induced  me  to  divide  a  great 
proportion  of  my  time  between  diversion  and  helping  other 
boys  in  their  exercises,  for  a  very  scanty  remuneration, 
which  I  lost  in  gaming,  or  squandered  in  gratifying  my 
appetite.  One  thing  is  remarkable,  considering  what  has 
since  taken  place,  that,  while  I  could  translate  Latin  into 
English,  or  English  into  Latin,  perhaps  more  readily  and 
correctly  than  any  other  boy  in  the  school,  I  never  could 
compose  themes.  I  absolutely  seemed  to  have  no  ideas, 
when  set  to  work  of  this  kind,  either  then  or  for  some 
years  afterwards ;  and  was  even  greatly  at  a  loss  to  write 
a  common  letter.  As  for  verses,  I  never  wrote  any  ex- 
cept nonsense  verses,  of  one  kind  or  othor ;  which  has 
perhaps  been  the  case  also  of  many  more  prolific  versifiers. 
God  had  not  made  me  a  poet,  and  I  am  very  thankful  that 
I  never  attempted  to  make  myself  one." 

Soon  after  leaving  school,  he  was  bound  apprentice  to  a 
surgeon  and  apothecary  at  Alford,  about  eight  miles  from 
Braytofi,  his  father's  residence.  His  master,  it  appears, 
was  entirely  unprincipled,  and  young  Scott  followed 
closely  in  his  steps.  At  the  end  of  two  months,  he  was 
sent  home  in  deep  disgrace  for  gross  misconduct.  Though 
this  was  a  severe  mortification  to  his  father  and  to  the 
whole  family,  yet  the  course  pursued  towards  him  seems 
to  have  been  unjustifiably  severe,  and  even  cruel. 

*'  Immediately  on   my    return    home,"   continues   Mr, 


THOMAS  SCOTT.  IJl 

Scott,  "  I  was  set  to  do,  as  well  as  I  could,  the  most  la- 
borious and  dirty  parts  of  the  work  belonging  to  a  gra- 
zier. On  this  I  entered  at  the  beginning  of  winter ;  and 
as  much  of  my  father's  farm  consisted  of  low  land,  which 
was  often  flooded,  I  was  introduced  to  scenes  of  hardship, 
and  exposed  to  many  dangers  from  wet  and  cold,  for 
which  my  previous  habits  had  not  prepared  me.  In  con- 
sequence I  was  frequently  ill,  and,  at  length,  suffered 
such  repeated  and  obstinate  maladies  that  my  life  was 
more  than  once  despaired  of.  Yet  a  kind  of  indignant, 
proud  self-revenge,  kept  me  from  complaining  of  hardship; 
though  of  reproach  and  even  of  reproof,  I  was  impatient 
to  the  greatest  degree  of  irascibility.  After  a  few  un- 
successful attempts,  my  father  gave  up  all  thoughts  of 
placing  me  out  in  any  other  way  ;  and  for  above  nine  years 
I  was  nearly  as  entire  a  drudge  as  any  servant  or  laborer 
in  his  employ ;  and  almost  as  little  known  beyond  the 
circle  of  immediate  neighbors.  My  occupation  was  gene- 
rally about  the  cattle,  and  particularly  in  the  spring  season. 
In  this  service  I  learned  habits  of  hardiness  in  encounter- 
ing all  sorts  of  weather,  (for  the  worse  the  weather,  the 
more  needful  it  was  that  I  should  be  with  the  sheep,) 
which  have  since  proved  useful  to  me ;  and  though  I  was 
not  kept  from  learning  many  vices,  I  was  out  of  the  way 
of  acquiring  habits  of  ease  and  indulgence,  as  I  should 
otherwise,  probably,  have  done.  My  situation,  however, 
led  me  to  associate  with  persons  of  the  lowest  station  of 
life,  and  wholly  destitute  of  religious  principle — in  all 
ranks  the  grand  corrective,  and  in  this  rank  almost  the 
sole  restraint  upon  character  and  manners.  These  per- 
sons tried  to  please  me  with  flatteries,  and  to  inflame  still 
more  the  indignancy  of  spirit  with  which  I  rebelled  against 
the  supposed  degradation  that  I  suffered." 

Still  he  entertained  thoughts  of  the   University  and  of 
the  clerical  profession.     He  fondly  cherished  the  hope  of 


112  THOMAS  SCOTT. 

one  day  rising  fron  the  degradation  to  which  he  was  con- 
demned. Hence,  in  some  of  the  winter  evenings  he  used 
to  read  whatever  books  he  could  procure.  But  strange 
to  say,  his  father,  though  himself  a  studious  and  inquisitive 
man,  was  wholly  opposed  to  the  gratification  of  the  literary 
propensity  of  his  son,  judging  it  to  be  wholly  inconsistent 
with  diligence  in  his  business.  He  used  to  say  frequently 
that  he  foresaw  that  his  son  would  come  to  be  a  charge 
to  the  parish. 

This  conduct  of  his  father  greatly  strengthened  him  to 
spend  his  leisure  time  from  home,  and  often  in  low  and 
abandoned  company.  Another  impediment  was  the  almost 
entire  want  of  books.  A  few  torn  Latin  books,  a  small 
imperfect  Dictionary,  and  an  Eton  fareek  Grammar,  com- 
posed his  whole  stock  in  the  languages. 

Mr.  Scott  had  only  one  surviving  brother,  and  he  was 
well  situated  on  a  farm.  His  father  was  far  advanced  in 
life,  and  not  of  a  strong  constitution.  It  was  generally 
supposed  that  Thomas  would  succeed  to  the  estate.  "  But 
at  length,"  says  the  narrative,  "  it  was  discovered  that 
the  lease  of  this  farm  was  left  by  will  to  ray  brother;  and 
that  I  was  merely  to  be  under-tenant  to  him  for  some 
marsh-grazing  lands,  which  were  without  a  house,  and  on 
which  I  knew  a  family  could  not  be  decently  maintained. 
On  this  discovery,  I  determined  to  make  some  effort  to 
extricate  myself;  and  I  only  waited  for  an  opportunity  to 
declare  my  determination.  Without  delay  my  Greek 
Grammar  was  studied  through  and  through;  and  I  made 
what  use  I  could  of  my  Latin  books ;  my  father,  in  the 
mean  time,  expressing  his  astonishment  at  my  conduct. 

"  At  length,  in  April,  1772,  in  almost  the  worst  manner 
possible,  after  a  long  wet  day  of  incessant  fatigue,  I 
deemed  myself,  and  perhaps  with  justice,  to  be  causelessly 
and  severely  blamed,  and  I  gave  full  vent  to  my  indignant 
passions  ;  and  throwing   aside  my  shepherd's  frock,  de- 


THOMAS  SCOTT.  II3 

dared  my  purpose  no  more  to  resume  it.  That  night  I 
lodged  at  my  brother's,  at  a  little  distance ;  but,  in  the 
morning,  I  considered  that  a  large  flock  of  sheep  had  no 
one  to  look  after  them,  who  was  competent  to  the  task ; 
I  therefore  returned  and  did  what  was  needful ;  and  then 
set  off  for  Boston,  where  a  clergyman  resided,  with  whom 
I  had  contracted  some  acquaintance,  by  conversing  with 
him  on  common  matters,  when  he  came  to  do  duty  in  my 
brother's  village,  and  took  refreshments  at  his  house. 

"  To  this  clergyman  I  opened  my  mind  with  hesitancy 
and  trepidation  ;  and  nothing  could  exceed  his  astonish- 
ment when  he  heard  my  purpose  of  attempting  to  obtain 
orders.  He  knew  me  only  as  a  shepherd,  somewhat  more 
conversable,  perhaps,  than  others  in  that  station,  and  im- 
mediately asked,  '  Do  you  know  anything  of  Latin  and 
Greek?'  I  told  him  I  had  received  an  education,  but  that 
for  almost  ten  years,  I  had  not  seen  a  Greek  book,  ex- 
cept the  Grammar.  He  instantly  took  down  a  Greek 
Testament,  and  put  it  into  my  hands  ;  and  without  diffi- 
culty I  read  several  verses,  giving  both  the  Latin  and 
English  rendering  of  them,  according  to  the  custom  of  our 
school.  On  this,  having  strongly  expressed  his  surprise, 
he  said,  *  Our  visitation  will  be  next  week ;  the  arch- 
deacon. Dr.  Gordon,  will  be  here ;  and  if  you  will  be  in 
the  town  I  will  mention  you  to  him,  and  induce  him,  if  I 
can,  to  send  for  you.'  This  being  settled,  I  returned 
immediately  to  my  father  for  the  intervening  days;  know- 
ing how  much,  at  that  season,  he  wanted  my  help,  for 
services  which  he  could  no  longer  perform  himself,  and 
was  not  accustomed  to  entrust  to  servants." 

In  a  letter  to  his  sisters,  which  he  wrote  about  this  time, 

he  says,  "  My  aunt  Wayet  endeavored   to  rally  me  out  of 

my  scheme,  but  I  must  own  I   thought  her  arguments 

weak.     She  urged  the  ridicule  which  poo?-  parsons  meet 

10* 


114  THOMAS  SCOTT. 

with  ;  but  surely,  those  who  ridicule  any  one  on  account  of 
his  poverty,  if  he  behaves  in  a  manner  worthy  of  his  situa- 
tion, are  themselves  persons  whose  opinion  I  despise.  She 
said  she  would  not  be  of  any  profession,  unless  at  the  head 
of  it ;  but  this  can  be  no  rule  for  general  practice,  as  some 
must  be  subordinate.  She  mentioned  my  not  being 
brought  up  in  a  regular  manner  ;  but  it  is  the  end,  not  the 
means,  which  is  of  the  greatest  consequence  ;  and  if  a 
man  be  qualified,  it  matters  not  where  he  procured  his 
qualifications.  It  sometimes  humbles  my  vanity  to  hear 
them  all  account  of  me  as  one  of  the  lowest  order  of  the  pro- 
fession, not  only  in  point  of  fortune,  but  also  in  other  par- 
ticulars. If  I  know  myself,  I  am  not  deficient  in  abilities, 
though  I  am  in  the  art  of  rendering  them  conspicuous  ; 
my  vanity  prompts  me  to  say,  that  I  am  not  without  hopes 
of  making  friends  in  this  way  of  life,  as  I  shall  be  more 
conversant  with  men  of  letters,  who  are  the  companions  I 
most  delight  in,  and  for  whose  company  I  shall  spare  no 
pains  to  qualify  myself  But  let  my  condition  in  life  be 
what  it  will,  I  will  endeavor  to  suit  myself  to  it.  Pray 
heaven  preserve  me  independent  on  any  other  for  a  liveli- 
hood, and  I  ask  no  more.  The  happiest  hours  I  have  ever 
spent,  have  been  in  your  company,  and  the  greatest  reluc- 
tance I  feel  at  this  change  of  my  situation  is,  the  being 
separated  from  a  set  of  sisters,  for  whom  I  have  the  most 
sincere  regard. 

"  At  the  appointed  time,"  continues  the  narrative,  "  I 
returned  to  Boston,  where  my  family  was  well  known,  and 
readily  found  access  to  the  archdeacon,  who  was  also  ex- 
amining chaplain  to  the  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  Dr.  Green. 
Before  him  I  repeated,  in  another  part  of  the  Greek  Tes- 
tament, what  I  had  done  at  the  clergyman's  house  ;  and 
was  asked  many  questions,  which  I  answered  without  the 
least  disguise.     The  archdeacon  concluded  the  interview, 


THOMAS  SCOTT.  115 

by  asuring  me  that  he  would  state  my  case  to  the  bishop, 
and  saying  that  he  thought  it  probable  his  lordship  would 
ordain  me. 

"  Thus  encouraged,  I  expended  all  the  little  money 
which  I  could  raise,  on  books  ;  went  to  live  at  Boston  ; 
and  applied  diligently  to  study — especially  to  improve  my 
knowledge  of  the  Greek  Testament,  (the  Gospels  in  par- 
ticular,) and  to  recover,  or  rather  to  acquire  the  ability  of 
composing  in  Latin.  I  had  now  for  some  years  been 
ready  in  expressing  my  thoughts,  and  had  even  been,  in 
some  instances,  a  writer  in  newspapers  and  magazines. 
I  daily,  therefore,  wrote  in  Latin,  on  texts  of  Scripture,  a 
sort  of  short  sermons,  which  my  friend,  the  clergyman, 
revised  ;  and,  in  return,  I  afforded  him  very  seasonable 
and  welcome  assistance  in  a  grammar  school  which  he 
taught." 

His  first  attempt  to  gain  ordination  was,  however,  un- 
successful. His  papers  had  not  reached  the  ordaining 
bishop  in  season,  and  other  circumstances  were  unsatis- 
factory. This  repulse  induced  in  the  bosom  of  the  appli- 
cant, a  kind  of  despair.  The  bishop  had  said  that  he 
should  probably  admit  him  at  the  next  ordination,  pro- 
vided he  would  procure  his  father's  consent  to  the  measure, 
and  a  letter  from  any  beneficed  clergyman  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. But  he  was  not  personally  known  to  half  a 
dozen  clergymen  of  the  description  required  ;  and  his  at- 
tempt was  utterly  reprobated  by  every  one  of  them  as  in  a 
high  degree  presumptuous.  He  was  now  in  the  twenty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age,  wholly  without  the  prospect  of  a  de- 
cent subsistence,  and  to  complete  the  appalling  prospect, 
his  father  was  most  decidedly  set  against  the  design. 

But  an  energy,  such  as  Thomas  Scott  had,  could  not  be 
repressed.  The  fire,  which  was  burning  in  his  bosom,  no 
adverse  circumstances  could  extinsjuish.     He  had  made 


116  THOMAS  SCOTT. 

up  his  mind  to  accomplish  the  work,  and  it  would  seem 
that  no  human  power  could  stay  him. 

He  travelled  to  his  home  from  London,  by  a  circuitous 
route,  and  a  great  part  of  the  way  on  foot,  and  the  rest  in 
various  vehicles.  At  length  he  reached  Braytoft,  after 
walking  twenty  miles  in  the  forenoon ;  having  dined,  and 
divested  himself  of  his  clerical  dress,  he  resumed  his  shep- 
herd's clothes,  and  in  the  afternoon,  sheared  eleven  large 
sheep ! 

"  This,  however,"  he  observes,  "  was  my  last  labor  of 
the  kind.  My  attempt  to  obtain  orders  had  been- widely 
made  known  in  the  neighborhood,  even  much  beyond  the 
sphere  of  my  personal  acquaintance ;  and  it  had  excited 
much  attention  and  astonishment,  with  no  small  degree  of 
ridicule.  This  raised  the  spirit  of  my  relations  ;  and  the 
sentiment  expressed  by  my  brother,  was  that  of  the  other 
branches  of  the  family.  *  I  wish,'  said  he,  *  my  brother 
had  not  made  the  attempt ;  but  I  cannot  bear  to  have  it 
said,  that  one  of  our  name  undertook  what  he  was  unable 
to  accomplish.' 

"  In  consequence  of  this  sensation,  my  brother  and  all 
my  sisters  met  by  appointment  at  my  father's  house  ;  and, 
with  my  mother,  urged  it  in  the  most  earnest  manner,  as 
his  indispensable  duty,  either  to  consent  to  my  ordination, 
or  to  fix  me  on  a  farm  on  my  own  account.  I  appre- 
hend it  was  clearly  foreseen  what  his  concession  would  be, 
if  he  could  be  induced  to  concede  at  all ;  and  accordingly, 
after  much  debate,  he  gave  his  consent  in  writing  to  my 
entering  into  orders. 

"  As  the  difficulty,  which  I  regarded  as  insuperable, 
was  in  a  most  unexpected  manner,  surmounted  ;  and  my 
hopes  reviving,  I  was  prepared  to  struggle  over  other  ob- 
stacles, if  possible.  Despairing  of  obtaining  a  letter  to  the 
bishop  from  any  of  the  beneficed  clergymen,  to  whom,  as 


THOMAS  SCOTT.  117 

living  within  a  few  miles,  I  was  in  some  degree  known,  I 
applied,  without  delay,  to  the  vicar  of  Boston,  Dr.  Calthorp, 
who  was  well  acquainted  with  my  mother  and  her  family, 
though  he  had  seldom,  if  ever,  seen  me,  till  I  met  the 
archdeacon  at  his  house.  He  behaved  in  the  most  candid 
manner  ;  yet  as  a  truly  conscientious  man,  (which  I  be- 
lieve he  really  was,)  he  said  justly,  that  he  could  not  sign 
my  testimonial,  or  state  anything  concerning  me  from  his 
own  knowledge,  except  for  the  short  time  which  had  passed 
since  I  first  came  to  his  house ;  but  that  he  could  give  a 
favorable  account  as  to  that  time  ;  and  if  I  could  procure 
attestations  from  any  respectable  persons,  though  not  cler- 
gymen, he  would  transmit  them  with  his  own  letter  to  the 
bishop.  Thus  encouraged,  I  went  again  to  reside  at 
Boston,  where  I  applied  diligently  to  my  studies  ;  but  I 
was  greatly  frowned  on  by  many  of  my  relations ;  and  I 
frequently  heard  the  laugh  of  the  boys,  as  I  walked  about 
the  street  in  a  brown  coat,  and  with  lank  hair,  pointing 
me  out  as  the  '  parson  !'  —  if  this  were  a  species  of  persecu- 
tion, it  was  certainly  not  for  C/u'ist's  sake,  or  for  right- 
eousness^ sake,  for  I  was  estranged  from  both  at  this 
time." 

It  is  proper  here  to  remark,  that  however  valuable  the 
traits  of  character  were,  which  were  exhibited  by  Mr. 
Scott,  it  is  evident,  and  it  is  what  he  many  times,  and  sor- 
rowfully acknowledged  in  subsequent  life,  that  he  had  not 
that  character  which  is  essential  in  the  Christian  ministry. 
He  approached  this  sacred  work  as  he-  would  have  ap- 
proached either  of  the  other  professions.  No  spirit  can  be 
more  foreign  from  the  ministry  of  reconciliation  than  am- 
bition, or  disappointed  pride,  or  that  zeal  which  is  enkin- 
dled by  a  sense  of  degradation,  and  a  desire  to  rise  supe- 
rior to  our  fellow  creatures,  in  order  to  show  them  the 
strength  of  our  character,  and  the  energy  of  our  pur- 
pose.    The   Great  Shepherd   was  meek   and  lowly,  and 


118  THOMAS  SCOTT. 

those    only   are    accepted   by   him,    who   are    willing   to 
tread  in  his  steps. 

**  At  the  ensuing  ordination,  I  was  admitted  a  candi- 
date," continues  Mr.  Scott,  "  without  objection,  and  was 
examined  at  Buckden,  by  Dr.  Gordon.  After  examina- 
tion on  other  matters,  he  asked  me  numerous  questions 
concerning  the  nature  of  miracles;  how  real  miracles 
might  be  distinguished  from  counterfeit  ones  ;  and  how 
they  proved  the  truth  of  the  doctrine  in  support  of  which 
they  were  wrought.  This  was,  indeed,  almost  the  only 
theological  topic  which  I  had  studied  with  any  tolerable 
attention.  He,  however,  perceived  that  I  began  to  be 
alarmed,  and  kindly  said,  *  You  need  not  be  uneasy  ;  I 
only  wished  to  try  of  what  you  were  capable  ;  and  I  per- 
ceive that  Christianity  has  got  an  able  advocate  in  you.' 
I  could  not  find  myself  at  liberty  to  suppress  this  remark- 
able attestation,  which  is,  I  believe,  expressed  exactly  in 
the  words  he  used ;  but  had  he  known  either  my  creed, 
and  the  state  of  my  heart  at  that  time,  or  whither  my  sub- 
sequent inquiries  would  ultimately  lead  me,  I  am  persuaded 
he  would  not  have  spoken  as  he  did." 

Mr.  Scott,  immediately  after  his  ordination,  entered  on 
his  duties  as  a  curate  for  Stoke,  and  for  Weston  Under- 
wood, in  Buckinghamshire.  "  No  sooner,"  says  Mr. 
Scott,  "  was  I  fixed  in  a  curacy,  than  with  close  applica- 
tion I  sat  down  to  the  study  of  the  learned  languages,  and 
such  other  subjects  as  I  considered  most  needful  in  order 
to  lay  the  foundation  of  my  future  advancement.  I  spared 
no  pains,  I  shunned,  as  much  as  I  well  could,  all  acquaint- 
ance and  diversions,  and  retrenched  from  my  usual  hours  of 
sleep,  that  I  might  keep  more  closely  to  this  business." 

In  a  period  of  nine  months  he  read  through  the  entire 
works  of  Josephus  in  the  original  Greek.  In  a  letter  to 
one  of  his  sisters,  dated  September  18,  1773,  he  remarks, 
*'  I  have,  for  some  time,  pursued  my  studies  with  assiduity. 


THOMAS  SCOTT.  hq 

but  I  have  only  lately  got  to  pursue  them  with  method. 
I  am  now  about  three  hours  in  the  day  engaged  in  Hebrew. 
The  books  1  use  are  a  Hebrew  Bible,  Grammars,  and 
Lexicons,  the  noted  Septuagint,  or  Greek  translation,  and 
a  Commentary.  I  began  at  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis, 
and  I  intend  to  go  through  the  whole  Bible  in  that  man- 
ner. You  will  see  the  manifold  advantages  of  thus  read- 
ing the  Scriptures.  The  original  text,  a  Greek  translation 
two  thousand  years  old  and  above,  our  translation,  and 
comments,  read  carefully,  and  compared  together  word 
by  word,  cannot  fail  to  give  a  deep  insight  into  the  sense 
of  the  Scriptures  ;  and  at  the  same  time,  two  languages 
are  unitedly  improving.  The  same  I  am  doing  in  the 
Greek  and  profane  history.  I  am  reading  old  Herodotus, 
in  the  original,  in  Latin,  and  in  English.  For  each  book 
read,  whether  ancient  or  modern  history,  I  have  my  maps 
laid  before  me,  and  trace  each  incident  by  the  map ;  and 
in  some  degree  also  fix  the  chronology.  So  that  the  lan- 
guages seem  my  principal  study  ;  history,  geography,  and 
chronology,  go  hand  in  hand.  Neither  is  logic  neglected. 
I  find  my  taste  for  study  grow  every  day.  I  only  fear  I 
shall  be  like  the  miser,  too  covetous.  In  fact  I  really 
grudge  every  hour  that  I  employ  otherwise.  Others  go 
out  by  choice,  and  stay  at  home  by  constraint ;  but  I 
never  stay  at  home  by  constraint,  and  go  out  because  it  is 
necessary.  In  every  other  expense  I  am  grown  a  miser  ; 
I  take  every  method  to  save,  but  here  I  am  prodigal.  No 
cost  do  I  in  the  least  grudge,  to  procure  advantageous 
methods  of  pursuing  my  studies.  Of  the  Hebrew,  some 
twenty  weeks  ago  I  knew  not  a  letter ;  and  I  have  now 
read  through  one  hundred  and  nineteen  of  the  Psalms,  and 
twenty-three  chapters  of  Genesis  ;  and  commonly  now  read 
two  chapters  in  the  time  above  mentioned,  tracing  every 
word  to  its  original,  unfolding  every  verbal  difiiculty." 
At  the  same  time  the  more  appropriate   duties  of  his 


120  THOMAS  SCOTT. 

calling  were  not  neglected.  He  generally  wrote  two  ser- 
mons in  a  week,  and,  in  one  instance,  in  the  course  of 
three  weeks,  wrote  seven  sermons,  each  thirty-five  minutes 
long. 

For  a  few  of  the  following  years,  Mr.  Scott  was  em- 
ployed on  subjects  of  an  exclusively  religious  nature,  and 
deeply  affecting  his  personal  feelings  and  character.  At 
length  he  became  established  in  the  liopes  of  the  gospel  of 
Christ,  and  thenceforward  his  path  was  illuminated  v/ith 
the  light  of  eternal  life.  But  there  was  no  change  in  the 
vigor  of  his  mind,  and  the  unconquerable  perseverance  of 
his  character.  His  reading  became  as  various  as  he  had 
the  opportunity  of  making  it.  No  book  that  furnished 
knowledge,  Vv'hich  might  be  turned  to  account,  was  unin- 
teresting to  him.  As  an  example,  he  read  repeatedly  Mr. 
Henry  Thornton's  work  on  Paper  Credit,  having  in  some 
measure  been  prepared  for  the  subject,  by  his  former 
study  of  Locke's  Treatises  on  Money,  iSz.c.  At  a  much 
later  period  also  he  felt  himself  deeply  interested  in  read- 
ing the  Greek  Tragedia  is,  and  other  classic  authors,  with 
his  pupils.  He  earnestly  desired  to  see  the  branches  of 
literature  rendered  subservient  to  religion  ;  and  thought 
that,  while  too  much  perhaps,  was  published  directly 
upon  theological  subjects,  there  was  a  lamentable  defi- 
ciency of  literary  works  conducted  upon  sound  Christian 
principles. 

The  following  extract  exhibits  an  interesting  trait  in  his 
character.  "  After  I  had  written  my  sermons  for  the 
Sunday,  I,  for  a  long  time,  constantly  rea^  them  to  my 
wife  before  they  were  preached.  At  her  instmce,  I 
altered  many  things,  especially  in  exchanging  words, 
unintelligible  to  laborers  and  lace-makers,  for  simpler 
language." 

Between  the  year  1807,  ard  1S14,  Dr.  Scott  was  the 
tutor  of  persons  preparing  to  go  out  as  missionaiies,  under 


THOMAS  SCOTT.  121 

the  Church  Missionary  Society.  The  individuals  who 
came  under  his  instruction,  were  in  general  German 
Lutheran  clergymen.  All  of  them  went  forth  as  mis- 
sionaries into  the  heathen  world ;  and  most  of  them  are 
now  usefully  emplofed  in  that  character.  The  progress 
which  they  made  in  their  studies  was  highly  creditable, 
in  some  instances  remarkable.  "  With  all  my  other  en- 
gagements," says  Dr.  Scott,  "  I  am  actually,  in  addition 
to  what  I  before  taught  the  missionaries,  reading  Susoo 
and  Arabic  with  them.  The  former  we  have  mastered 
without  difficulty,  so  far  as  the  printed  books  go ;  and 
hope  soon  to  begin  translating  some  chapters  into  the  lan- 
guage. But,  as  to  the  latter,  we  make  little  progress ;  yet 
so  far,  that  I  have  no  doubt  of  being  able  to  read  the  Koran 
with  them,  should  they  continue  here.  It  is  in  itself  a 
most  difficult  language,  but  my  knowledge  of  the  Hebrew 
gives  me  an  advantage." 

This  labor  was  accomplished  when  Dr.  Scott  was  more 
than  sixti/  years  old.'  Perhaps  there  is  hardly  on  record  an 
instance  of  more  vigorous  application  to  the  study  of  very 
difficult  languages, — the  student  threescore  years  old,  and 
suffering  severely  from  chronic  complaints.  It  is  one  of 
the  proofs  (would  that  they  were  far  more  numerous) 
of  a  successful  effort  to  withstand  the  effects  of  age.  The 
Hebrew,  likewise,  which  was  his  auxiliary  on  this  occa- 
sion, had  been  entirely  resumed,  and  almost  learned  since 
his  fifty-third  year. 

The  history  of  the  life  of  Dr.  Scott  teaches  us  a  num- 
ber of  important  lessons.  It  shows  us  that  a  resolute  heart 
can  vanquish  many  difficulties.  Dr.  Scott  had  a  great 
variety  of  depressing  and  adverse  circumstances  with 
which  to  meet.  He  had  strong  and  ungovernable  pas- 
sions. He  was  compelled  to  spend  some  of  the  best  years 
of  his  life  in  an  employment  most  uncongenial  to  mental 
improvement.  He  had  very  little  of  the  ease  and  leisure 
11 


123  THOMAS  SCOTT. 

and  delightful  associations  and  poetry  of  a  shepherd's  life. 
He  had  the  storms,  the  incessant  anxiety,  and  the  exhaust- 
ing labors  of  the  occupation.  He  fed  his  flocks,  not 
among  the  green  hills  and  vallies,  but  in  low,  marshy 
regions,  altogether  unfriendly  to  intellectual  effort.  He 
had  also  the  disheartening  remembrance  of  an  early  failure 
constantly  before  his  mind.  Of  this  failure  his  own  mis- 
conduct too,  was  a  principal  cause.  His  father,  with 
many  valuable  qualities,  was  stern  and  inexorable.  His 
son  had  commenced  an  honorable  profession,  and  had  been 
disgraced,  and  he  determined  to  keep  hiai  henceforward 
in  a  condition  where  neither  his  good  nor  bad  conduct 
would  be  known,  where  at  least  the  pride  of  the  family 
would  not  again  be  wounded.  Dr.  Scott  had  also  a  rough 
and  unpolished  exterior.  He  had  native  vigor  of  mind, 
but  little  that  was  prepossessing  in  his  first  appearance, 
even  after  a  long  and  familiar  intercourse  with  enlight- 
ened society.  But  he  urged  his  way  over  all  these  diffi- 
culties. The  number  of  obstacles  only  called  forth  a  more 
determined  energy.  He  set  his  face  forward,  and  all  the 
appalling  forms  of  discouragement  could  not  divert  him. 
Victory  over  one  enemy  gave  him  additional  power  to 
attack  another.  A  servile  employment,  degraded  com- 
panions, the  pertinacious  opposition  of  a  father,  the  goad- 
ing recollection  of  the  past,  a  forbidding  personal  exterior, 
severe  bodily  infirmity,  advancing  age,  the  pressure  of 
domestic  duties,  a  miserable  stipend  for  support — all,  all 
could  not  dampen  that  ardor  w^hich  engrossed  and  fired 
his  soul. 

Another  valuable  lesson,  which  we  are  taught  by  Dr. 
Scott's  history,  is  that  the  highest  possible  motives  of  ac- 
tion, a  regard  to  the  will  of  our  Maker,  and  the  well  being 
of  mankind,  are,  at  least,  as  operative  and  influential  as 
any  selfish  and  personal  considerations.  In  the  com- 
mencement of  his  intellectual  career.  Dr.  Scott  was  labor- 


THOMAS  SCOTT.  123 

ing  for  himself.  Personal  aggrandizement  was  the  prize 
which  he  set  before  him,  and  which  fixed  his  eye,  quick- 
ened his  step,  filled  his  mind.  But  ere  long  the  current  of 
his  desires  was  changed.  The  emotions  and  purposes 
which  had  gone  abroad  only  to  bring  back  to  himself  a 
fresh  harvest  of  applause  and  reputation,  went  outward  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth,  and  upward  to  the  throne  of  God. 
Personal  ambition  gave  place  to  the  most  expansive  be- 
nevolence. Instead  of  living  for  himself  and  for  his  own 
times,  he  lived  for  other  and  future  ages.  But  this  change 
did  not  repress  the  ardor  of  his  soul.  It  did  not  freeze  up 
the  living  current  there.  He  was  as  avaricious  of  time, 
when  that  time  was  devoted  to  the  interests  of  his  Re- 
deemer, as  when  it  was  employed  in  gathering  tributes 
of  human  admiration.  He  grappled  as  strongly  and  as 
perseveringly  with  the  difficulties  of  a  foreign  language, 
when  the  hope  of  heaven  and  the  honor  of  his  Saviour 
were  before  his  eye,  as  when  splendid  church  preferment, 
or  literary  reputation  were  the  idols  to  which  he  bowed  in 
worship.  This  fact  is  one  of  great  interest.  It  shows 
that  the  highest  developement  of  the  intellectual  powers 
is  in  perfect  accordance  with  the  most  disinterested  and 
godlike  benevolence,  that  human  duty  and  human  interest 
are  perfectly  coincident. 

Dr.  Scott  furnishes  a  most  remarkable  instance  of  severe 
mental  application  till  the  very  close  of  life.  Amidst  the 
pressure  of  disease,  and  of  pain,  which  were  almost  unin- 
termitted,  his  mind  maintained  a  very  vigorous  and  healthy 
action.  At  the  age  of  seventy-tioo  years,  he  remarks,  "  I 
never  studied  each  day  more  hours  than  I  now  do.  Never 
was  a  manufactory  more  full  of  constant  employment  than 
our  house  ;  five  proof  sheets  of  my  Commentary  a  week  to 
correct,  and  as  many  sheets  of  copy  (quarto)  to  prepare. '' 
For  about  forty-six  years  he  studied  eight,  ten,  and  some- 
times fourteen  hours  a  day.     After  thirty-three  years'  labor 


124  THOMAS  SCOTT. 

bestowed  on  his  Commentary  of  the  Scriptures,  he  was  as 
assiduous  in  correcting  and  improving  it  as  ever.  The 
marginal  references  cost  him  seven  years  of  hard  labor. 
When  seventy  years  old,  he  engaged  in  a  controversy  with 
a  Jew  on  the  fundamental  questions  in  dispute  between 
the  Jews  and  Christians,  and  produced  an  original  and 
highly  interesting  work  in  defence  of  the  Christian  faith. 
At  the  age  of  sixty,  a  period  at  which  it  would  generally 
be  thought  impracticable  to  acquire  a  foreign  tongue.  Dr. 
Scott  studied  Arabic  and  Susoo — the  latter  an  African 
dialect,  and  both  exceedingly  difficult  languages  to  be  mas- 
tered. We  rejoice  in  this  instance  of  a  man  bearing  fruit 
in  old  age,  triumphing  over  the  pains  and  weakness  of 
mortality,  and  retaining  full  mental  power  to  the  last  mo- 
ment of  life.  It  shows  what  is  possible  to  be  done  in 
numerous  other  cases.  Many  individuals  intend  to  be 
useless,  intend  to  gather  themselves  into  a  corner  in  in- 
glorious  ease,  if  God  sees  fit  to  spare  their  life  beyond  the 
age  of  threescore  years.  Dr.  Scott  reasoned  and  acted 
differently.  His  sun  was  almost  as  bright  at  setting,  as 
in  the  morning  or  at  the  meridian.  It  sent  forth  the  same 
powerful  heat,  and  the  same  mild  and  steady  light. 

It  is  also  very  gratifying  to  see  that  the  unconquerable 
energy  and  noble  aim  of  this  self-taught  man,  were  not  in 
vain.  AH  this  energy  was  expended  on  praiseworthy 
objects.  He  labored  not  for  the  sake  of  showing  his  de- 
cision of  character,  but  of  doing  good  with  it.  If  he 
wasted  little  intellect  by  idleness,  he  wasted  as  little  by 
misapplication.  He  brought  the  whole  of  his  judgment, 
and  discrimination,  and  strong  sense,  and  fearless  piety, 
and  unsleeping  mental  power,  to  the  promotion  of  human 
happiness.  He  was  certainly  one  of  the  most  useful  men 
who  ever  lived. 

The  sale  of  his  works,  of  plain  didactic  theology,  during 
his  life  time,  amounted  to  two  hundred  thousand  pounds 


THOMAS  SCOTT.  125 

Sterling.  Probably  an  equal  sum  has  been  expended  for 
these  same  works  since  his  death.  Of  his  Commentary 
on  the  Scriptures,  not  less  than  thirty-Jive  thousand  copies 
have  been  sold  in  the  United  States  alone,  at  a  sum  of  at 
least  seven  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Two  stereotype 
editions  of  it  have  been  published.  The  work  is  now,  at 
the  distance  of  thirty  years  from  its  publication,  as  popu- 
lar and  acceptable  to  the  religious  public  as  ever.  The 
ANNUAL  SALE  is  now,  in  this  country,  not  less  than  fifteen 
hundred  copies.  What  an  amount  of  good  has  been  ac- 
complished by  a  single  effort  of  this  entirely  self-taught 
man.  At  least  one  hundred  thousand  families  gathering 
their  views  of  the  meaning  of  the  Christian  revelation  from 
the  comments  of  a  single  mind.  This  already  amazing 
amount  of  good,  is  but  a  tithe  of  what  will  yet  be  seen. 
Wherever,  on  all  the  continents  of  this  earth,  the  English 
language  shall  be  spoken,  and  the  English  Bible  shall  be 
found,  there  the  name  of  Thomas  Scott  will  be  hailed 
as  one  of  the  most  important  benefactors  of  mankind. 


11 


LOTT   GARY. 


Oh  Afric  !  what  has  been  ihy  crime  ! 

That  thus  like  Eden's  fratricide, 
A  mark  is  set  upon  thy  cHme, 

And  every  brother  shuns  thy  side. 
Yet  are  thy  wrongs,  thou  long  distrest, 

Thy  burden,  by  the  world  unweighed. 
Safe  in  that  unforgetful  breast 

Where  all  the  wrongs  of  earth  are  laid. 
The  sun  upon  thy  forehead  frowned, 

But  man  more  cruel  far  than  he, 
Dark  fetters  on  thy  spirit  bound. 

Look  to  the  mansion  of  the  free  I 
Look  to  that  realm  where  chains  unbind 

Where  powerless  falls  the  threatening  rod. 
And  where  the  patient  sufferers  find, 

A  friend,  a  father  in  their  God. 

3Irs.  Sigoumey. 

Some  events,  which  have  recently  taken  place  in  thi& 
country,  have  given  a  fresh  interest  to  the  cause  of  African 
Colonization.  In  the  county  of  Southampton,  Virginia, 
about  sixty  white  persons  fell  victims  in  a  negro  insurrec- 
tion, which  occurred  during  the  summer  of  1831.  A  very 
serious  alarm  has  been  communicated  in  consequence  to 
various  portions  of  the  southern  country,  and  many  appre- 
hensions have  been  entertained  of  the  repetition  of  similar 
tragedies.  A  practical,  though  fearful  proof,  has  thus 
been  given  to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  of  the  evil 
of  the  slave  system.  The  danger  has  been  shown  to  be 
real.  It  is  no  fictitious  terror  which  has  led  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Virginia  to  consider  more  maturely  and  earnestly 
|,he  plans  of  the  American  Colonization  Society.     Some- 


LOTT  GARY.  127 

thing  must  be  done.  An  outlet  for  a  part  of  the  colored 
population  must  be  provided  at  all  hazards.  By  the  late 
awful  events,  the  providence  of  God  is  speaking  to  us 
most  distinctly  to  weigh  well  this  subject,  and  to  act 
promptly  in  regard  to  it. 

It  seems  to  us  that  the  American  Colonization  Society 
has  now  come  to  a  most  important  period  of  its  history — 
when  a  great  movement  can  and  ought  to  be  made  on- 
ward— when,  to  fulfil  the  palpable  indications  of  Provi- 
dence, it  should  lay  aside  all  hindrances,  and  proceed  to 
its  great  work  with  all  the  promptitude  and  wisdom  possi- 
ble. Such  a  course  would  furnish  the  best  of  all  argu- 
ments wherewith  to  meet  the  numerous  opposers  of  the 
Society.  Plant  on  the  African  coast  high  and  broad 
monuments  of  the  feasibility  of  colonization.  Erect  along 
all  the  shore  living  confutations  of  the  calumnies  and  of 
the  grave  objections  which  have  been  urged  against  this 
infant  enterprise.  Show  practically  that  the  well-being  of 
the  free-colored  population  of  this  country  is  one  great 
object  of  the  scheme,  that  when  the  African  steps  upon 
the  Liberian  shore,  he  is  elevated  in  the  scale  of  being,  and 
rises  into  the  dignity  of  true  freedom.  Write  the  eulogy 
of  the  Society  in  Africa,  on  her  shores,  in  her  spreading 
commerce,  up  her  long  rivers.  When  the  voice  of  igno- 
rance or  ill-will  assails  this  noble  enterprize,  let  a  thou- 
sand happy  voices  come  over  the  Atlantic  and  deny  the 
charge. 

We  do  not  ourselves  place  much  confidence  in  the  op- 
position or  the  indifference  which  is  manifested  towards 
the  Colonization  Society.  It  is  not  a  selfish  cold  hearted 
policy,  designed  to  remove  the  colored  people  against  their 
inclinations  and  interest.  It  is  an  enterprise  conceived  in 
the  most  exalted  benevolence,  and  in  the  most  comprehen- 
siveregards  to  the  interests  of  mankind.  It  is  not  a  plan  of 
the  North  or  the  South.     It  looks  to  the  well  being  of  two 


128  LOTT  GARY. 

whole  continents.  In  lawful  and  proper  ways  it  would 
purify  this  land  from  a  fearful  and  blighting  curse.  It 
would  help  to  pour  the  light  of  eternal  life  on  the  whole  of 
forlorn  and  lost  Africa. 

Looking  at  the  principal  friends  of  the  American 
Colonization  Society,  we  see  no  reason  to  impugn 
their  motives.  Were  not  Harper,  and  Caldwell,  and 
Fitzhugh,  men  of  sagacious  mind,  and  of  most  expansive 
charity.  Did  not  pity,  real  pity  for  the  woes  of  the 
African  race,  fill  the  bosom  of  Mills,  and  Ashmun,  and 
Sessions,  and  Randall,  and  Anderson  ?  To  call  in  ques- 
tion the  benevolence  of  such  men,  does  nothing  more  than 
to  bring  into  doubt  that  of  the  objector.  Examine  the 
public  documents,  try  the  public  measures  of  the  Society 
with  the  most  rigid  scrutiny,  and /they  will  not  be  found 
wanting.  Equally  without  foundation  is  the  objection 
urged  against  the  unhealthiness  of  the  African  climate. 
Not  one  half  the  mortality  has  been  experienced  at  Liberia, 
which  ravaged  and  almost  desolated  the  early  colonies  of 
Virginia,  New  Plymouth,  and  Massachusetts.  Let  the 
forest  be  levelled,  and  pure  air  circulate,  let  all  the  marshes 
and  stagnant  waters  be  drained,  let  all  the  colonists  avoid 
unnecessary  exposure  and  fatigue,  and  let  them  utterly 
abandon  all  use  of  ardent  spirits,  and  other  stimulants, 
and  we  should  hear  little  more  of  the  mortality  of  Liberia. 
Temperate  men  can  live  and  do  live  at  Havana,  at  Ba- 
tavia,  at  Calcutta,  and  at  any  other  alledged  unhealthy  spot 
on  the  globe.  Those  places  are  the  graves  of  Europeans, 
because  a  miserable  police  and  intemperance  have  made 
them  to  be  so.  To  these  causes  we  unhesitatingly  ascribe 
the  greater  part  of  the  mortality  which  has  prevailed  at 
Liberia.     Remove  the  cause  and  the  effect  will  cease. 

The  plan  of  colonizing  the  colored  people  is  not  a  chi- 
merical one.  There  are  abundant  means  for  this  purpose. 
An  appropriation  of  one  million  of  dollars  annually  to  this 


LOTT  GARY. 


129 


purpose,  would  transport  such  a  number  as  would  speedily 
accomplish  the  great  work.  This  country  will  speedily 
be  free  from  the  public  debt.  She  has  several  hundred  mil- 
lions of  acres  of  land  at  her  disposal.  How  perfectly 
within  the  compass  of  her  ability  to  assist  in  the  deliver- 
ance and  return  of  the  African  race.  The  right  constitu- 
tionally to  render  this  assistance  will  hardly  be  denied, 
after  the  Indian  precedent  which  has  been  given,  after 
the  liberal  and  lavish  offers,  which  have  been  made,  to 
induce  the  aboriginal  inhabitants  of  this  country  to  remove 
to  an  El  Dorado  in  the  wilderness. 

The  great,  the  fundamental  difficulty,  want  of  intellec- 
tual and  moral  preparation  in  the  colored  people,  is  not  an 
insuperable  one.  There  has  been,  indeed,  a  long  process 
of  degradation.  Servile  habits  have  been  worn  into  the 
soul.  The  intellect  of  the  Africans  has  been  muffled  and 
bandaged  by  law.  Still  they  have  minds.  The  spark  of 
immortal  life  has  been  kindled  in  them  by  their  beneficent 
Creator.  They  have  the  immaterial,  responsible,  expansive, 
ever  aspiring  principle.  Remove  the  pressure  of  adverse 
circumstances,  lay  before  them  the  proper  motives,  and 
they  will  spring  into  the  path  which  leads  to  honor,  and 
knowledge,  and  glory.  The  Creator  has  not  doomed  one 
portion  of  his  intellectual  offspring  to  everlasting  seclusion 
from  improvement.  He  has  not  buried  them  in  one  vast 
grave  where  the  light  of  truth  and  joy  and  immortal  hope 
will  never  reach  them.  Africa  has  had  an  Hanno,  an 
Hannibal,  a  Juba,  a  Cyprian,  an  Augustine.  Did  not 
Africaner,  who  has  been  termed  the  South  African  Bona- 
parte, exhibit  noble  traits  of  character  ?  Has  not  slavery 
itself  furnished  specimens  of  genius  which  would  have 
done  honor  to  the  native  hills  and  pure  air  of  freedom? 
Who  has  not  heard  of  the  generous  and  affectionate  strains 
of  the  self-taught  Phillis  Wheatley ;  of  the  noble  spirit  of 


130  LOTT  GARY. 

Citizen  Granville  of  Hayti,  and  of  the  magnanimity  of 
Prince  Abdul  Rahahhman. 

In  the  year  1739,  and  for  several  years  afterwards, 
Benjamin  Banneker,  a  colored  man  of  Maryland,  furnished 
the  public  with  an  almanac,  which  was  extensively  circu- 
lated through  the  Southern  States.  He  was  a  self-taught 
astronomer,  and  his  calculations  were  so  thorough  and 
exact,  as  to  excite  the  approbation  and  patronage  of  such 
men  as  Pitt,  Fox,  Wilberforce,  and  other  eminent  men, 
by  whom  the  work  was  produced  in  the  British  House  of 
Commons,  as  an  argument  in  favor  of  the  mental  cultiva- 
tion of  colored  people,  and  of  their  liberation  from  their 
wretched  thraldom. 

Another  interesting  instance  of  self-taught  African 
genius,  was  Lott  Cary*  He  was  born  a  slave  in 
Charles  City  County,  about  thirty  mi)es  below  Richmond, 
Virginia,  on  the  estate  of  Mr.  William  A.  Christian.  His 
father  was  a  pious  and  much  respected  member  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  his  mother,  though  she  made  no  pub- 
lic profession  of  religion,  died,  giving  evidence  that  she 
relied  for  salvation  upon  the  merits  of  the  Son  of  God. 
He  was  their  only  child,  and  though  he  had  no  early  in- 
struction from  books,  the  admonitions  and  prayers  of  illit- 
erate parents  may  have  laid  the  foundations  of  his  future 
usefulness.  In  1804,  he  was  sent  to  Richmond,  and 
hired  out  by  the  year  as  a  common  laborer,  at  the  Shockoe 
warehouse.  A  strong  desire  to  be  able  to  read,  was  ex- 
cited in  his  mind,  by  a  sermon  which  he  heard,  and  which 
related  to  our  Lord's  interview  with  Nicodemus ;  and  hav- 
ing obtained  a  Testament,  he  commenced  learning  his 
letters,  by  trying  to  read  the  chapter  in  which  this  inter- 
view is  recorded.  He  was  occasionally  instructed  by 
young  gentlemen  at  the  warehouse,  though  he  never 
attended  a  regular  school.     In  a  little  time  he  was  able  to 


LOTT  GARY.  131 

read,  and  also  to  write  so  as  to  make  dray  tickets,  and 
superintend  the  shipping  of  tobacco.  Shortly  after  the 
death  of  his  first  wife,  in  1813,  he  ransomed  himself  and 
two  children  for  $850,  a  sum  which  he  had  obtained  by 
his  singular  ability  and  fidelity  in  managing  the  concerns 
of  the  tobacco  w^arehouse.  Of  the  real  value  of  his  ser- 
vices there,  it  has  been  remarked,  ''  no  one  but  a  dealer 
in  tobacco  can  form  an  idea."  Notwithstanding  the  hun- 
dreds of  hogsheads,  which  were  committed  to  his  charge, 
he  could  produce  any  one  the  moment  it  was  called  for ; 
and  the  shipments  were  made  with  a  promptness  and  cor- 
rectness, such  as  no  person,  white  or  colored,  has  equalled 
in  the  same  situation.  The  last  year  in  which  he  re- 
mained in  the  warehouse  his  salary  was  $800.  For  his 
ability  in  his  work  he  was  highly  esteemed  and  frequently 
rewarded  by  the  merchant  with  a  five  dollar  bank  note. 
He  was  also  allowed  to  sell,  for  his  own  benefit,  many 
small  parcels  of  damaged  tobacco.  It  was  by  saving  the 
little  sums  obtained  in  this  way,  with  the  aid  of  subscrip- 
tions by  the  merchants  to  whose  interests  he  had  been 
attentive,  that  he  was  enabled  to  purchase  the  freedom  of 
his  family.  When  the  colonists  were  fitted  out  for  Africa, 
he  was  enabled  to  bear  a  considerable  part  of  his  own 
expenses.  He  also  purchased  a  house  and  some  land  in 
Richmond.  It  is  said  that  while  employed  at  the  ware- 
house, he  often  devoted  his  leisure  time  to  reading,  and 
that  a  gentleman,  on  one  occasion,  taking  up  a  book 
which  he  had  left  for  a  few  moments,  found  it  to  be 
"  Smith's  Wealth  of  Nations."  He  remained,  for  some 
years,  after  his  removal  to  Richmond,  entirely  regardless 
of  religion,  and  much  addicted  to  profane  and  vicious 
habits.  But  God  was  pleased  to  convince  him  of  the 
guilt  and  misery  of  a  sinful  state,  and  in  1807,  he  publicly 
professed  his  faith  in  the  Saviour,  and  became  a  member 
of  the  Baptist  church.     Soon  after  this  period,  he  com- 


133  LOTT  GARY. 

menced  the  practice  of  conducting  the  services  at  reli- 
gious meetings.     Though  he  had  scarcely  any  knowledge 
of  books,  and  but  little  -acquaintance  with  mankind,  he 
would  frequently  exhibit  a  boldness  of  thought,   and   a 
strength  of  intellect  which  no   acquirement  could  have 
ever  given  him.     A  distinguished  minister  of  the  Presby- 
terian church  made  the  following  remark.     "  A  sermon, 
which  I  heard  from  Mr.   Gary,  shortly  before  he  sailed 
for  Africa,  was  the  best  extemporaneous  sermon,  which  I 
ever  heard.     It  contained  very  original   and  impressive 
thoughts,   some  of  which  are  distinct  in  my  memory,  and 
never  can  be  forgotten."     The  following  sentences  form 
the  closing  part  of  an  extemporaneous  address  which  he 
uttered  on  the  eve  of  his  departure.     "  I  am  about  to  leave 
you  ;  and  expect  to  see  your  faces  no  more.     I  long  to 
preach  to  the  poor  Africans  the  way  of  life  and  salvation. 
I  do  not  know  what  may  befal  me,  or  whether  I  may  find 
a  grave  in  the  ocean,  or  among  the  savage  men,  or  more 
savage  wild   beasts  on  the   coast  of  Africa;    nor  am   I 
anxious  what  may  become  of  me.     I  feel  it  my  duty  to 
go ;  and  I  very  much  fear  that  many  of  those,  who  preach 
the  gospel  in  this  country,  will  blush  when  the  Saviour 
calls  them  to  give  an  account  of  their  labors  in  his  cause, 
and  tells  them,   '  I  commanded  you  to  go  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,'  and  (with 
the  most  forcible   emphasis  he  exclaimed)   the  Saviour 
may  ask.  Where  have  you  been  ?     What  have  you  been 
doing?     Have   you   endeavored   to  the   utmost   of  your 
ability  to  fulfil  the  commands  I  gave  you;  or  have  you 
sought  your  own  gratification  and  your  own  ease,  regard- 
less of  my  commands  ?" 

As  early  as  the  year  18i5,  he  began  to  feel  special  in- 
terest in  the  cause  of  African  missions,  and  contributed, 
probably,  more  than  any  other  person,  in  giving  origin  and 
character  to  the  African  Missionary  Society,  established 


LOTT  GARY.  133 

during  that  year  in  Richmond,  and  which  has,  for  thirteen 
years,  collected  for  the  cause  of  missions  in  Africa,  from  one 
hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Ilis  benevolence 
was  practical,  and  whenever,  and  wherever  good  objects 
were  to  be  effected,  he  was  ready  to  lend  his  aid. 

Mr.  Cary  was  among  the  earliest  emigrants  to  Africa. 
Here  he  saw  before  him  a  wide  and  interesting  field,  de- 
manding various  and  powerful  talents,  and  the  most  de- 
voted piety.  His  intellectual  ability,  firmness  of  purpose, 
unbending  integrity,  correct  judgment,  and  disinterested 
benevolence,  soon  placed  him  in  a  conspicuous  station,  and 
gave  him  wide  and  commanding  influence.  Though 
naturally  diffident  and  retiring,  his  worth  was  too  evident, 
to  allow  of  his  remaining  in  obscurity.  It  is  well  known 
that  great  difficulties  were  encountered  in  founding  a  set- 
tlement at  Cape  Montserado.  So  appalling  were  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  first  settlers,  that  soon  after  they  had 
taken  possession,  it  was  proposed  that  they  should  remove 
to  Sierra  Leone.  The  resolution  of  Mr.  Cary  to  remain 
was  not  to  be  shaken,  and  his  decision  had  no  small  effect 
towards  inducing  others  to  imitate  his  example.  In  the 
event,  they  suffered  severely.  More  than  eight  hundred 
natives  attacked  them  in  November,  1822,  but  were  re- 
pulsed ;  and  a  few  weeks  after,  a  body  of  fifteen  hundred 
attacked  them  again  at  day-break  ;  several  of  the  colonists 
were  killed  and  wounded  ;  but  with  only  thirty-seven 
effective  men  and  boys,  and  the  aid  of  their  six  pounder, 
they  again  achieved  a  victory  over  the  natives.  In  these 
scenes  Mr.  Cary  necessarily  bore  a  conspicuous  part.  In 
one  of  his  letters  he  remarks,  that  like  the  Jews  in  rebuild- 
ing their  city,  they  had  to  toil  with  their  arms  beside 
them,  and  rest  uport  their  arms  every  night ;  but  he  de- 
clared after  this,  in  the  most  emphatic  terms,  that  "  there 
never  had  been  an  hour  or  a  minute,  no,  not  even  when  the 
12 


134  LOTT  GARY. 

balls  were  flying  around  his  head,  when  he  could  wish 
himself  back  to  America  again." 

The  peculiar  exposure  of  the  early  emigrants,  the  scan- 
tiness of  their  supplies,  and  the  want  of  adequate  medical 
attentions,  subjected  them  to  severe  and  complicated  suf- 
ferings. To  relieve,  if  possible,  these  sufferings,  Mr. 
Cary  obtained  all  the  information  in  his  power,  concerning 
the  diseases  of  the  climate,  and  the  proper  remedies.  He 
made  liberal  sacrifices  of  his  property,  in  behalf  of  the 
poor  and  distressed ;  and  devoted  his  time  almost  exclu- 
sively to  the  relief  of  the  destitute,  the  sick,  and  the  af- 
flicted. His  services  as  physician  to  the  colony  were 
invaluable  ;  and  were,  for  a  long  time,  rendered  without 
hope  of  reward.  But  amid  his  multiplied  cares  and  efforts 
for  the  colony,  he  never  forgot  or  neglected  to  promote 
the  objects  of  the  African  Missionary  Society,  to  which  he 
had  long  cherished  and  evinced  the  strongest  attachment. 
Most  earnestly  did  he  seek  access  to  the  native  tribes,  and 
endeavor  to  instruct  them  in  the  doctrines  and  duties  of 
that  religion,  which  had  proved  so  powerful  and  precious 
in  his  own  case.  Many  of  his  last  and  most  anxious 
thoughts  were  directed  to  the  establishment  of  native 
schools  in  the  interior.  One  such  school,  distant  seventy 
miles  from  Monrovia,  and  of  great  promise,  was  established 
through  his  agency,  about  a  year  before  his  death,  and 
patronized  and  superintended  by  him  till  that  mournful 
event. 

In  September,  1826,  Mr.  Cary  was  elected  Vice  Agent 
of  the  Colony,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  that  important 
office  till  his  death.  In  his  good  sense,  moral  worth,  de- 
cision, and  public  spirit,  Mr.  Ashmun,  the  Agent,  had  the 
most  entire  confidence.  Hence,  when  compelled  to  leave 
the  colony,  he  committed  the  administration  of  affairs  into 
the  hands  of  the  Vice  Agent,  in  the  full  belief  that  no  in- 


LOTT  GARY.  135 

terest  would  be  betrayed,  and  no  duty  neglected.  The 
conduct  of  Mr.  Cary,  while  for  six  months  he  stood  at 
the  head  of  the  colony,  added  to  his  previously  high  rep- 
utation. 

On  the  evening  of  the  8th  of  November,  1828,  while 
Mr.  Cary,  and  several  others,  were  engaged  in  making 
cartridges  in  the  old  agency  house  at  Monrovia,  in  prepa- 
ration to  defend  the  rights  of  the  colony  against  a  slave- 
trader,  a  candle  appears  to  have  been  accidentally  over- 
turned, which  caught  some  loose  powder,  and  almost 
instantaneously  reached  the  entire  ammunition,  producing 
an  explosion,  which  resulted  in  the  death  of  eight  persons. 
Mr.  Cary  survived  for  two  days. 

'*  The  features  and  complexion  of  Mr.  Gary's  character 
were  altogether  African.  He  was  diffident,  and  showed 
no  disposition  to  push  himself  into  notice.  His  words 
were  simple,  few,  direct,  and  appropriate.  His  conversa- 
tion indicated  rapidity  and  clearness  of  thought,  and  an 
ability  to  comprehend  the  great  principles  of  religion  and 
government. 

*'  To  found  a  Christian  colony,  which  might  prove  a 
blessed  asylum  to  his  degraded  brethren  in  America,  and 
enlighten  and  regenerate  Africa,  was  an  object  with  which 
no  temporal  good,  not  even  life  could  be  compared.  The 
strongest  sympathies  of  his  nature  were  excited  in  behalf 
of  his  unfortunate  people,  and  the  divine  promise  cheered 
and  encouraged  him  in  his  labors  for  their  improvement 
and  salvation.  His  record  is  on  high.  His  memorial 
shall  never  perish.  It  shall  stand  in  clearer  light,  when 
every  chain  is  broken,  and  Christianity  shall  have  assumed 
her  sway  over  the  millions  of  Africa." 


JOHN  OPIE. 

John  Opie  was  born  in  the  parish  of  St.  Agnes,  about 
seven  miles  from  Truro,  in  the  county  of  Cornwall, 
England,  in  1761.  His  father  and  grandfather  were  car- 
penters. John  appears  to  have  been  regarded  among  his 
rustic  companions  as  a  kind  of  parochial  wonder  from  his 
early  years.  At  the  age  of  twelve,  he  had  mastered 
Euclid,  and  was  considered  so  skilful  in  arithmetic  and 
penmanship,  that  he  commenced  an  evening  school  for 
the  instruction  of  the  peasants  of  the  parish  of  St.  Agnes. 
His  father,  a  plain  mechanic,  seems  to  have  misunderstood 
all  these  indications  of  mental  superiority,  and  wished 
him  to  leave  the  pen  for  the  plane  and  saw ;  and  it  would 
appear  that  his  paternal  desires  were  for  some  time  obeyed, 
for  John,  at  least  accompanied  his  father  to  his  work  ; 
but  this  was  when  he  was  very  young,  and  it  seems 
probable  that  he  disliked  the  business,  since  his  father 
had  to  chastise  him  for  making  ludicrous  drawings^  with 
red  chalk,  on  the  deals  which  were  planed  for  use. 

His  love  of  art  came  upon  him  early.  When  he  was 
ten  years  old,  he  saw  Mark  Oates,  an  elder  companion, 
and  afterwards  captain  of  marines,  draw  a  butterfly ;  he 
looked  anxiously  on,  and  exclaimed,  "I  think  I  can  draw 
a  butterfly  as  well  as  Mark  Oates  :"  he  took  a  pencil, 
tried,    succeeded,   and  ran   breathless    home    to    tell    his 


JOHN  OPIE.  137 

mother  what  he  had  done.  Soon  afterward  he  saw  a 
picture  of  a  farmyard  in  a  house  in  Truro  where  his 
father  was  at  work  ;  he  looked  and  looked — went  away — 
returned  again  and  looked — and  seemed  unwilling  to  be 
out  of  sight  of  this  prodigy.  For  this  forwardness,  his 
father  gave  him  a  sharp  chastisement — but  the  lady  of  the 
house  interposed,  and  gave  the  boy  another  sight  of  the 
picture.  On  returning  home,  he  procured  cloth  and  colors, 
and  made  a  copy  of  the  painting,  from  memory  alone.  He 
likewise  attempted  original  delineation  from  life;  and,  by 
degrees,  hung  the  humble  dwelling  round  with  likenesses 
of  his  relatives  and  companions,  much  to  the  pleasure  of 
his  uncle,  a  man  with  sense  and  knowledge  above  his 
condition,  but  greatly  to  the  vexation  of  his  father,  who 
could  not  comprehend  the  merit  of  such  an  idle  trade. 

He  was  employed  for  some  time,  in  the  family  of  Dr. 
Wolcot,  the  satirist,  as  a  menial  servant.  How  long  he 
remained  in  that  employment  is  not  known.  He  com- 
menced portrait  painting,  by  profession,  very  early  in  life. 
He  used  to  wander  from  town  to  town  in  quest  of  employ- 
ment. "  One  of  these  expeditions,"  says  his  biographer, 
"  was  to  Padstow,  whither  he  set  forward,  dressed  as  usual 
in  a  boy's  plain  short  jacket,  and  carrying  with  him  all 
proper  apparatus  for  portrait  painting.  Here,  among 
others,  he  painted  the  whole  household  of  the  ancient  and 
respectable  family  of  Prideaux,  even  to  the  dogs  and  cats 
of  the  family.  He  remained  so  long  absent  from  home, 
that  some  uneasiness  began  to  arise  on  his  account,  but  it 
was  dissipated  by  his  returning,  dressed  in  a  handsome 
coat,  with  very  long  skirts,  laced  ruffles,  and  silk  stockings. 
On  seeing  his  mother  he  ran  to  her,  and  taking  out  of  his 
pocket  twenty  guineas  which  he  had  earned  by  his  pencil, 
he  desired  her  to  keep  them,  adding  that  in  future  he 
should  maintain  himself" 

For  his  mother,  he  always  entertained  the  deepest  af- 
12* 


1:38  JOHN  OPIE. 

fection — and  neither  agfe  nor  the  pressure  of  worldly  busi- 
ness diminished  his  enthusiasm  in  the  least.  He  loved 
to  speak  of  the  mildness  of  her  nature  and  the  tenderness 
of  her  heart — of  her  love  of  truth  and  her  maternal  cir- 
cumspection. He  delighted  to  recal  her  epithets  of  fond- 
ness, and  relate  how  she  watched  over  him  when  a  boy, 
and  warmed  his  gloves  and  great  coat  in  the  winter  morn- 
ings, on  his  departure  for  school.  This  good  woman  lived 
to  the  age  of  ninety-two,  enjoyed  the  fame  of  her  son,  and 
was  gladdened  with  his  bounty. 

Of  those  early  efforts,  good  judges  have  spoken  with 
much  approbation ;  they  were  deficient  in  grace,  but  true 
to  nature,  and  remarkable  for  their  fidelity  of  resemblance. 
He  painted  with  small  pencils,  and  finished  more  highly 
than  when  his  hand  had  attained  more  mastery.  His 
usual  price,  when  he  was  sixteen  years  of  age,  was  seven 
shillings  and  sixpence  for  a  portrait.  But  of  all  the  works, 
which  he  painted  in  those  probationary  days,  that  which 
won  the  admiration  of  the  good  people  of  Truro  most, 
was  a  parrot  walking  down  his  perch ;  all  the  living  parrots 
that  saw  it,  acknowledged  the  resemblance.  So  much  was 
he  charmed  with  the  pursuit  and  his  prospects,  that  when 
Wolcot  asked  him  how  he  liked  painting,  "  Better,"  he 
answered,  "  than  bread  and  meat." 

In  the  twentieth  year  of  his  age  he  went  to  London, 
and  under  the  patronage  of  Wolcot,  at  first  excited  great 
attention.  Of  his  success,  Northcote  gives  the  following 
account.  "  The  novelty  and  originality  of  manner  in  his 
pictures,  added  to  his  great  abilities,  drew  an  universal 
attention  from  the  connoisseurs,  and  he  was  immediately 
surrounded  and  employed  by  all  the  principal  nobility  of 
England.  When  he  ceased,  and  that  was  soon,  to  be  a 
novelty,  the  capricious  public  left  him  in  disgust.  They 
now  looked  out  for  his  defects  alone — and  he  became,  in 
his  turn,  totally  neglected  and   forgotten ;  and,  instead  of 


JOHN  OPIE.  139 

being  the  sole  object  of  public  attention,  and  havino-  the 
street  where  he  lived  so  crowded  with  coaches  of  the 
nobility  as  to  become  a  real  nuisance  to  the  neighborhood, 
'  so,'  as  he  jestingly  observed  to  me,  '  that  he  thought  he 
must  place  cannon  at  the  door  to  keep  the  multitude  off 
from  it,'  he  now  found  himself  as  entirely  deserted  as  if 
his  house  had  been  infected  with  the  plague.  Such  is 
the  world  !"  His  popularity,  however,  continued  rather 
longer  than  this  description  would  seem  to  imply.  When 
the  wonder  of  the  town  began  to  abate,  the  country  came 
gaping  in;  and  ere  he  had  wearied  both,  he  had  aug- 
mented the  original  thirty  guineas  with  which  he  com- 
menced the  adventure,  to  a  very  comfortable  sum  ;  had 
furnished  a  house  in  Orange  Court,  Leicester  Fields. 
The  first  use  which  he  made  of  his  success,  was  to  spread 
comfort  around  his  mother  ;  and  then  he  proceeded  with 
his  works  and  studies  like  one  resolved  to  deserve  the 
distinction  which  he  had  obtained.  His  own  strong 
natural  sense,  and  powers  of  observation,  enabled  him  to 
lift  the  vail  which  the  ignorant  admiration  of  the  multi- 
tude had  thrown  over  his  defects  ;  he  saw  where  he  was 
weak — and  labored  most  diligently  to  improve  himself 
His  progress  was  great — and  visible  to  all,  save  the  leaders 
of  taste  and  fashion.  When  his  works  were  crude  and 
unstudied,  their  applause  was  deafening :  when  they  were 
^such  as  really  merited  a  place  in  public  galleries,  the 
world,  resolved  not  to  be  infatuated  twice  with  the  same 
object,  paid  them  a  cold,  or  at  least,  a  very  moderate  at- 
tention. "  Reynolds,"  it  has  been  remarked,  '•  is  the 
only  eminent  painter  who  has  been  able  to  charm  back 
the  public  to  himself  after  they  were  tired  of  him."  The 
somewhat  rough  and  unaccommodating  manners  of  Opie 
were  in  his  way  ;  it  requires  delicate  feet  to  tread  the  path 
of  portraiture;  and  we  must  remember  that  he  was  a 
peasant,  unacquainted  with  the  elegance  of  learning,  and 


140  JOHN  OPIE. 

unpolished  by  intercourse  with  the  courtesies  and  ameni- 
ties of  polite  life.  He  was  thrown  into  the  drawing-room, 
rough  and  rude  as  he  came  from  the  hills  of  Cornwall, 
and  had  to  acquit  himself  as  well  as  he  could. 

He  divided  his  time  between  his  profession  and  the 
cultivation  of  his  mind.  He  was  conscious  of  his  defec- 
tive education  ;  and,  like  Reynolds,  desired  to  repair  it, 
by  mingling  in  the  company  of  men  of  learning  and  talent, 
and  by  the  careful  perusal  of  the  noblest  writers.  "  Such 
were  the  powers  of  his  memory,  that  he  remembered  all  he 
had  read.  Milton,  Shakespeare,  Dryden,  Pope,  Gray, 
Cowper,  Butler,  Burke,  and  Dr.  Johnson,  he  might,  to  use 
a  familiar  expression,  be  said  to  know  by  heart."  A  man 
of  powerful  understanding  and  ready  apprehension,  *'  who 
remembered  all  he  read,"  and  who  had  nine  of  the  great- 
est and  most  voluminous  of  our  authors  by  heart,  could 
never  be  at  any  loss  in  company,  if  he  had  tolerable  skill 
in  using  his  stores.  To  his  intellectual  vigor  we  have 
strong  testimony.  "  Mr.  Opie,"  said  Home  Tooke, 
"  crowds  more  wisdom  into  a  few  words  than  almost  any 
man  I  ever  knew — he  speaks  as  it  were  in  axioms,  and 
what  he  observes  is  worthy  to  be  remembered."  "  Had 
Mr.  Opie  turned  his  powers  of  mind,"  says  Sir  James 
Mackintosh,  "  to  the  study  of  philosophy,  he  would  have 
been  one  of  the  first  philosophers  of  the  age.  I  was  never 
more  struck  than  with  his  original  manner  of  thinking  and 
expressing  himself  in  conversation ;  and  had  he  written 
on  the  subject,  he  would,  perhaps,  have  thrown  more  light 
on  the  philosophy  of  his  art  than  any  man  living." 

The  chief  excellence  of  Opie  lies  in  portrait  painting. 
He  has  great  vigor,  breadth,  and  natural  force  of  character. 
His  portrait  of  Charles  Fox  has  been  justly  commended, 
nor  does  the  circumstance  of  his  having  completed  the 
likeness  from  the  bust  by  Nollekens,  as  related  by  Smith, 
diminish  his  merit. 


JOHN  OPIE.  141 

When  Fox,  who  sat  opposite  to  Opie  at  the  Academy 
dinner  given  in  the  exhibition-room,  heard  the  general 
applause  which  his  portrait  obtained,  he  remembered  that 
he  had  given  him  less  of  his  time  than  the  painter  had  re- 
quested, and  said  across  the  table,  "  There,  Mr.  Opie,  you 
see  I  was  right ;  every  body  thinks  it  could  not  be  better. 
Now,  if  I  had  minded  you,  and  consented  to  sit  again, 
you  most  probably  would  have  spoiled  the  picture." 

"  He  painted  what  he  saw,"  says  West,  ''  in  the  most 
masterly  manner,  and  he  varied  little  from  it.  He  saw 
nature  in  one  point  more  distinctly  and  forcibly  than  any 
painter  who  ever  lived.  The  truth  of  color  as  conveyed 
to  the  eye  through  the  atmosphere,  by  which  the  distance 
of  every  object  is  ascertained,  was  never  better  expressed 
than  by  him.  He  distinctly  represented  local  color  in  all 
its  various  tones  and  proportions,  whether  in  light  or  in 
shadow,  with  a  perfect  uniformity  of  imitation.  Other 
painters  frequently  made  two  separate  colors  of  objects  in 
light  and  in  shade, — Opie  never.  With  him  no  color — 
whether  white,  black,  primary,  or  compound — ever,  in 
any  situation,  lost  its  respective  hue." 

His  works  were  not  the  offspring  of  random  fits  of 
labor,  after  long  indulgence  in  idleness,  they  were  the 
fruit  of  daily  toil,  in  which  every  hour  had  its  allotted  task. 
"  He  was  always  in  his  painting  room,"  says  his  wife, 
Amelia  Opie,  "  by  half  past  eight  in  winter,  and  by  eight 
o'clock  in  summer;  and  there  he  generally  remained, 
closely  engaged  in  painting,  till  half  past  four  in  winter, 
-i.nd  till  five  in  summer.  Nor  did  he  allow  himself  to  be 
idle  when  he  had  no  pictures  bespoken,  and  as  he  never 
let  his  execution  rust  for  want  of  practice,  he,  in  that 
case,  either  sketched  out  designs  for  historical  or  fancy 
pictures,  or  endeavored,  by  working  on  an  unfinished  pic- 
ture of  me,  to  improve  himself  by  incessant  practice  in 
that  difficult  branch  of  art,  female  portraiture.     Neither 


142  JOHN  OPIE. 

did  he  suffer  his  exertions  to  be  paralyzed  by  neglect  the 
most  unexpected,  and  disappointment  the  most  unde- 
served." 

"  During  the  nine  years  that  I  was  his  wife,"  says  Mrs. 
Opie,  "  I  never  saw  him  satisfied  with  any  one  of  his  pro- 
ductions;  and  often,  very  often^  have  I  seen  him  enter  my 
sitting  room,  and,  in  an  agony  of  despondence  throw 
himself  on  the  sofa,  and  exclaim,  '  I  am  the  most  stupid  of 
created  beings,  and  I  never,  never  shall  be  a  painter  as  long 
as  I  live.'  He  used  to  study  at  Somerset  House,  where  the 
pictures  were  hung  up,  with  more  persevering  attention 
and  thirst  for  improvement  than  was  ever  exhibited  per- 
haps by  the  lowest  student  in  the  schools,  and  on  his 
return,  I  never  heard  him  expatiate  on  his  own  excel- 
lencies, but  sorrowfully  dwell  on  his  own  defects." 

When  Henry  Fuseli  was  made  keeper  of  the  Royal 
Academy,  Opie  was  elected  to  the  professorship  of  paint- 
ing. He  gave  four  lectures,  which  contain  many  discrim- 
inating remarks,  and  valuable  thoughts,  though  they  are 
deficient  in  deep  discernment,  and  an  original  grasp  of 
mind.  The  following  passage  embodies  important  hints, 
not  only  for  young  artists,  but  for  every  young  man,  who 
is  aspiring  to  usefulness  in  any  situation  of  life. 

**  Impressed  as  I  am  at  the  present  moment,  with  a  full 
conviction  of  the  difficulties  attendant  on  the  practice  of 
painting,  I  cannot  but  feel  it  also  my  duty  to  caution  every 
one  who  hears  me,  against  entering  into  it  from  improper 
motives,  and  with  inadequate  views  of  the  subject ;  as 
they  will  thereby  only  run  a  risk  of  entailing  misery  and 
disgrace  on  themselves  and  their  connections  during  the 
rest  of  their  lives.  Should  any  student  therefore  happen 
to  be  present,  who. has  taken  up  the  art  on  the  supposition 
of  finding  it  an  easy  and  amusing  employment — any  one 
who  has  been  sent  into  the  academy  by  his  friends,  in 
the  idea  that  he   may  cheaply  acquire  an  honorable  and 


JOHN  OPIE.  143 

profitable  profession — any  one  who  has  mistaken  a  petty 
kind  of  imitative  monkey  talent  for  genius — any  one  who 
hopes  by  it  to  get  rid  of  what  he  thinks  a  more  vulgar  or 
disagreeable  situation,  to  escape  confinement  at  the  counter 
or  desk — any  one  urged  merely  by  vanity  or  interest,  or, 
in  short,  impelled  by  any  consideration  but  a  real  and  un- 
conquerable passion  for  excellence  ;  let  him  drop  it  at 
once,  and  avoid  these  walls  and  every  thing  connected 
with  them,  as  he  would  the  pestilence  ;  for  if  he  have  not 
this  unquestionable  liking,  in  addition  to  all  the  requisites 
above  enumerated,  he  may  pine  in  indigence,  or  pass 
through  life  as  a  hackney  likeness-taker,  a  copier,  a  draw- 
ing-master, or  pattern  drawer  to  young  ladies,  or  he  may 
turn  picture  cleaner,  and  help  time  to  destroy  excellencies 
which  he  cannot  rival,  but  he  must  never  hope  to  be  in 
the  proper  sense  of  the  word,  a  painter. 

"  He,  who  wishes  to  be  a  painter,  must  overlook  no 
kind  of  knowledge.  He  must  range  deserts  and  moun- 
tains for  images,  picture  upon  his  mind  every  tree  of  the 
forest  and  flower  of  the  valley,  observe  the  crags  of  the 
rock  and  the  pinnacles  of  the  palace,  follow  the  windings 
of  the  rivulet,  and  watch  the  changes  of  the  clouds  ;  in 
short,  all  nature,  savage  or  civilized,  animate  or  inani- 
mate, the  plants  of  the  garden,  the  animals  of  the  wood, 
the  minerals  of  the  mountains,  and  the  motions  of  the  sky, 
must  undergo  his  examination.  Whatever  is  great,  what- 
ever is  beautiful,  whatever  is  interesting,  and  whatever  is 
dreadful,  must  be  familiar  to  his  imagination,  and  concur 
to  store  his  mind  with  an  inexhaustible  variety  of  ideas 
ready  for  association  on  every  possible  occasion,  to  em- 
bellish sentiment  and  to  give  eifect  to  truth.  It  is  more- 
over absolutely  necessary  that  then  the  epitome  of  all — his 
principal  subject  and  his  judge — should  become  a  par- 
ticular object  of  his  investigation  ;  he  must  be  acquainted 
with  all  that  is  characteristic  and  beautiful,  both  in  regard 


144  JOHN  OPIE. 

to  his  mental  and  bodily  endowments ;  must  study  their 
analogies  and  learn  how  far  moral  and  physical  excellence 
are  connected  and  dependent  one  on  the  other.  He  must 
farther  observe  the  power  of  the  passions  in  all  their  com- 
binations, and  trace  their  changes  as  modified  by  constitu- 
tion, or  by  the  accidental  influences  of  climate  or  custom, 
from  the  sprightliness  of  infancy  to  the  despondency  of 
decrepitude  ;  he  must  be  familiar  with  all  the  modes  of  life, 
and  above  all,  endeavor  to  discriminate  the  essential  from 
the  accidental,  to  divest  himself  of  the  prejudices  of  his 
own  age  and  country,  and,  disregarding  temporary  fashions 
and  local  taste,  learn  to  see  nature  and  beauty  in  the  ab- 
stract, and  rise  to  general  and  transcendental  truth,  which 
will  always  be  the  same." 

These  are  noble  sentences,  and  worthy  of  the  regard  of 
those  who  paint  the  mind,  who  are  employed  in  intellec- 
tual portraiture,  and  whose  work  is  to  survive  all  material 
fabrics. 

Opie  died  on  Thursday,  the  9th  of  April,  1807.  Dur- 
ing his  sickness  he  imagined  himself  to  be  occupied  in 
his  favorite  pursuit,  and  continued  painting  in  idea  till 
death  interposed.  He  was  interred  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral, 
near  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds.  '*  In  person,"  says  Allan 
Cunningham,  from  whom  we  have  compiled  the  preceding 
biography,  ''  Opie  looked  like  an  inspired  peasant.  Even 
in  his  more  courtly  days  there  was  a  country  air  about 
him,  and  he  was  abrupt  in  his  language  and  careless  in 
his  dress,  without  being  conscious  of  either.  His  looks 
savored  of  melancholy  ;  some  have  said  of  moroseness. 
The  portrait  which  he  has  left  of  himself,  shows  a  noble 
forehead  and  an  intellectual  eye.  There  are  few  who 
cannot  feel  his  talents,  and  all  must  admire  his  fortitude. 
He  came  coarse  and  uneducated  from  the  country  into 
the  polished  circles  of  London  ;  was  caressed,  invited, 
praised,  and  patronized  for  one  little  year  or  so,  and  then 


JOHN  OPIE.  145 

the  giddy  tide  of  fashion  receded ;  but  he  was  not  left  a 
wreck.  He  had  that  strength  of  mind  which  triumphs 
over  despair.  He  estimated  the  patronage  of  fickle  igno- 
rance at  what  it  was  worth,  and  lived  to  invest  his  name 
with  a  brighter  as  well  as  a  steadier  halo,  than  that  of 
fashionable  wonders. 


13 


JVATHANIEL.  SMITH. 

Nathaniel  Smith  was  born  at  Woodbury,  in  the 
State  of  Connecticut,  on  the  6th  of  January,  1762.  He 
was  destitute  of  the  means  of  an  early  education,  and 
while  yet  a  youth  was  actively  and  successfully  engaged 
in  pursuits,  in  which  he  discovered  such  discretion  and 
strength  of  intellect,  as  promised  future  eminence.  An 
incident  of  no  great  importance  in  itself,  induced  him  to 
enter  upon  the  study  of  the  profession  of  law.  Having 
engaged  in  this  pursuit,  he  persevered  in  it  with  surpris- 
ing constancy  of  purpose,  unappalled  by  difficulties, 
which  ordinary  minds  would  have  deemed  entirely  insur- 
mountable. He  studied  under  the  direction  of  the  cele- 
brated Judge,  Tapping  Reeve,  of  Litchfield,  founder  of 
the  law  school  in  that  place,  and  the  sound  and  enlight- 
ened guide  of  many  young  men,  who  have  become  eminent 
in  their  profession.  Probably  no  individual  who  has  lived 
in  this  country,  has  done  so  much  as  Judge  Reeve,  in 
implanting  in  the  breasts  of  lawyers,  the  great  principles 
of  morality  and  religion. 

Mr.  Smith  entered  the  office  of  Judge  Reeve  about  the 
close  of  the  war  of  the  revolution,  and  such  was  his 
progress  as  to  afford  proof  of  the  soundness  of  his  judg- 
ment in  the  choice  of  his  profession.  In  1787,  he  was 
admitted  to  the  bar,  and  his  first  efforts  showed  a  mind  of 
a  superior  order.     Though  surrounded  by  powerful  com- 


NATHANIEL  SMITH.  147 

petitors,  he  soon  rose  to  distinction,  and  was  pronounced 
an  able  advocate. 

In  1795,  Yale  College  bestowed  on  him  the  honorary 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts,  and  in  the  same  year,  he  was 
chosen  representative  in  the  Congress  of  the  United  States, 
where  he  continued  four  years.  On  his  declining  a  third 
election  to  Congress,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the 
Upper  House,  (or  Senate,)  of  his  native  State,  in  which 
office  he  was  continued,  by  annual  election,  for  several 
years.  In  these  various  stations,  he  acquired  great  respect 
for  his  manly  eloquence,  for  his  firmness,  his  political 
integrity,  and  his  comprehensive  views.  In  October, 
1806,  he  was  appointed  a  Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court. 
This  place  he  accepted  at  a  great  pecuniary  sacrifice,  as 
thereby  he  relinquished  his  lucrative  and  extensive  pro- 
fessional employments.  He  remained  in  this  important 
office  until  May,  1819.  Not  having  had  the  advantages 
of  early  instruction  and  discipline,  his  style  and  manner 
of  speaking  showed  nothing  of  the  polished  refinement  of 
the  scholar,  but  it  manifested  that  which  is  of  far  greater 
value,  a  mind  thoroughly  disciplined,  acquainted  with  the 
subjects  on  which  it  was  occupied,  and  intensely  engaged 
in  convincing  the  understandings  of  his  hearers.  In  his 
arguments  at  the  bar,  in  his  speeches  before  deliberative 
assemblies,  and  in  his  opinions  on  the  bench,  he  discussed 
nothing  but  the  merits  of  the  question,  and  here  he  always 
appeared,  as  in  truth  he  was,  an  able  man.  His  language 
was  not  classical,  but  appropriate — his  eloquence  was  not 
ornamented  but  powerful — it  fixed  attention,  and  produced 
conviction.  He  never  sought  to  display  quahties  which 
he  did  not  possess.  He  reasoned  according  to  the  strict 
rules  of  logic,  without  ever  having  studied  them — he 
spoke  well  without  any  theoretical  knowledge  of  the  arts 
of  the  rhetorician.  To  a  mind  naturally  strong  and 
thoroughly  disciplined,  he  added  so  much  knowledge  of 


148  NATHANIEL  SMITH. 

the  technicalities  and  forms  of  the  law,  as  enabled  him  to 
discern  the  nature  of  the  questions  submitted  to  him,  and 
with  the  aid  of  his  own  resources,  to  decide  correctly  in 
cases  of  doubt  and  difficulty.  To  obstacles,  which  could 
be  overcome,  he  never  yielded.  The  powers  of  his  mind 
rose  with  every  difficulty,  which  he  had  to  encounter,  and 
he  appeared  to  be  the  strongest  when  sustaining  the 
heaviest  weight. 

Judge  Smith  was  never  a  skeptic  in  religion.  He 
always  entertained  great  regard  for  Christianity.  He  had, 
notwithstanding,  doubts  respecting  the  reality  of  that 
change  which  is  produced  in  the  hearts  of  men,  by  the 
influence  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  At  length,  at  the  age  of 
forty-six  years,  in  the  full  possession  of  his  understanding, 
and  at  a  time  when  his  imagination  would  not  lead  hira 
astray,  and  in  the  hour  of  calm  and  deliberate  reflection, 
he  believed  that  such  a  change  was  produced  in  his  own 
bosom.  Under  its  influence  he  afterwards  lived.  His 
religious  impressions  were  kept,  for  a  time,  entirely  con- 
cealed, even  from  his  most  intimate  friends.  This  pro- 
ceeded, as  it  is  supposed,  from  an  excessive  delicacy,  as 
well  as  from  a  mistaken  sense  of  duty.  Placed  as  he  was 
in  an  high  and  responsible  office,  and  fearing  that  in  his 
situation,  an  avowal  of  his  faith  in  Christ,  might  be  at- 
tributed to  improper  motives,  he  retained  his  feelings 
within  his  own  breast.  When  his  situation  in  relation  to 
the  public  became  such  as  to  prevent  any  misconstruction 
of  his  motives,  he  hesitated  no  longer  to  profess  his  belief 
in  religious  truth,  and  his  high  hopes  growing  out  of  it. 
His  trust  in  the  merits  and  grace  of  the  Redeemer  of  men, 
cheered  and  supported  him  during  the  remainder  of  his 
days. 

He  died  in  calm  and  blessed  expectation  of  eternal 
life,  at  Woodbury,  on  the  9th  of  March,  1822,  in  the 
sixty-first  year  of  his  age. 


JOHN  GODFREY   VON  HERDER. 

This  distinguished  author  was  born  on  the  25th  of 
August,  1744,  at  Mohrangen,  a  small  town  in  Eastern 
Prussia^  where  his  father  taught  a  school  for  girls.  His 
early  education  was  not  favorable  to  the  developement  of 
his  faculties.  His  father  confined  his  reading  to  a  very 
few  books,  but  his  love  of  learning  was  so  strong,  as  to 
lead  him  to  prosecute  his  studies  in  secret.  The  clergy- 
man of  the  place  employed  the  boy  as  a  copyist,  and  soon 
discovered  his  talents,  and  allowed  him  to  participate  in 
the  lessons  in  Latin  and  Greek,  which  he  gave  his  own 
children.  At  this  time,  young  Herder  suffered  from  a 
serious  disease  of  the  eyes,  which  was  the  occasion  of 
his  becoming  better  known  to  a  Russian  surgeon,  who 
lived  in  the  clergyman's  house,  and  who  was  struck  with 
the  engaging  manners,  and  pleasing  appearance  of  the 
youth.  He  offered  to  take  Herder  with  him  to  Konigs- 
berg  and  to  Petersburg,  and  to  teach  him  surgery  gra- 
tuitously. Herder,  who  had  no  hopes  of  being  able  to 
follow  his  inclinations,  left  his  native  city,  in  1762 ;  but, 
in  Konigsberg,  he  fainted  at  the  first  dissection  at  which 
he  was  present.  He  now  resolved  to  study  theology. 
Some  gentlemen  to  whom  he  became  known,  and  who 
immediately  interested  themselves  in  his  favor,  procured 
him  an  appointment  in  Frederic's  College,  where  he  was, 

la* 


150  JOHN  GODFREY  VON  HERDER. 

at  first  tutor  to  some  scholars,  and,  at  a  later  period^ 
instructer  in  the  first  philosophical,  and  in  the  second 
Latin  class,  which  lefi;  him  time  to  study.  During  this 
period  he  became  known  to  the  celebrated  Kant,  who 
permitted  him  to  hear  all  his  lectures  gratuitously.  He 
formed  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  Hamann.  His 
unrelaxing  diligence  penetrated  the  most  various  branches 
of  science,  theology,  philosophy,  philology,  natural  and 
civil  history,  and  politics.  In  1764,  he  was  appointed  an 
assistant  teacher  at  the  cathedral  school  of  Riga,  with 
which  office,  that  of  a  preacher  was  connected.  His 
pupils  in  school,  as  well  as  his  hearers  at  church,  were 
enthusiastically  attached  to  him,  so  much  that  it  was 
thought  necessary  to  give  him.  a  more  spacious  church. 
His  sermons  were  distinguished  by  simplicity,  united  with 
a  sincere  devotion  to  evangelical  truth  and  original  in- 
vestigation. While  on  a  visit  to  Strasburg,  in  1767,  he 
was  invited  to  become  court-preacher,  superintendent  and 
consistorial  counsellor,  at  Biickeburg,  whither  he  pro- 
ceeded in  1771.  He  soon  made  himself  known  as  a  dis- 
tinguished theologian,  and,  in  1775,  was  offered  a  profes- 
sorship at  Gottingen,  which  he,  however,  did  not  accept 
immediately,  because  the  king  had  not  confirmed  his  ap- 
pointment unconditionally ;  and,  contrary  to  custom,  he 
was  expected  to  undergo  a  kind  of  examination.  But, 
being  married.  Herder  did  not  feel  at  liberty  to  decline 
the  appointment.  On  the  very  day  when  he  had  resolved 
to  go  to  Gottingen,  he  received  an  invitation  to  become 
court  preacher,  general  superintendent  and  consistorial 
counsellor  at  Weimar.  This  appointment  was  through 
the  influence  of  Gothe.  He  arrived  at  Weimar  in  October, 
1776.  It  was  at  the  time  when  the  duke  Augustus  and 
the  princess  Amelia  had  collected  many  of  the  most  dis- 
tinguished German  literati  at  their  court.  Weimar  was 
greatly  benefited    by   Herder's  labors  as  a  pulpit  orator. 


JOHN  GODFREY  VON  HERDER  151 

inspector  of  the  schools  of  the  country,  the  patron  of  merit 
and  founder  of  many  excellent  institutions.  In  1801,  he 
was  made  president  of  the  high  consistory,  a  place  never 
before  given  to  a  person  not  of  the  nobility.  Herder  was 
subsequently  made  a  nobleman  by  the  elector  of  Bavaria. 
He  says  himself  that  he  accepted  the  rank  for  the  sake  of 
his  children.  Herder  died,  on  the  18th  of  December, 
1803.  Germany  is  deeply  indebted  to  him  for  his  valuable 
works  in  almost  every  branch  of  literature,  and  few  authors 
have  had  a  greater  influence  upon  the  public  taste  in  that 
country.  His  works  were  published  in  forty-five  octavo 
volumes,  in  1806.  Aiiother  edition  is  now  publishing  in 
sixty  small  volumes.  As  a  theologian.  Herder  contributed 
to  a  better  understanding  of  the  historical  and  antiquarian 
parts  of  the  Old  Testament.  "  In  early  years,"  says  Her- 
der, '*  when  the  fields  of  knowledge  lay  before  me,  with 
all  the  glow  of  a  morning  sun,  from  which  the  meridian 
sun  of  life  takes,  away  so  much  of  the  charm,  the  idea 
often  recurred  to  my  mind,  whether,  like  other  great  sub- 
jects of  thought,  each  of  which  has  its  philosophy  and 
science,  that  subject  also,  which  lies  nearest  to  our  hearts, 
— the  history  of  mankind,  viewed  as  a  whole — might  not 
also  have  its  philosophy  and  science,  ^^very  thing  re- 
minded me  of  this  idea — metaphysics  aad  morals,  natural 
philosophy  and  natural  history,  lastly,  and  most  powerfully, 
religion."  This  is  the  key  to  Herder's  life.  The  object 
of  his  investigations  v^as  to  find  the  point  from  which  he 
might  calmly  survey  every  thing,  and  see  how  all  things 
converge.  *'  It  is,"  says  Frederic  Schlegel,  "  the  very 
perception  and  feeling  of  the  poetical,  in  the  character  of 
natural  legends,  which  forms  the  most  distinguishing 
feature  in  the  genius  of  Herder.  He  has  an  energy  of 
fancy  by  which  he  is  enabled  to  transport  himself  into  the 
spirit  and  poetry  of  every  age  and  people.  The  poetry  of 
the  Hebrews   was  that  which  most  delighted  him.     He 


152        JOHN  GODFREY  VON  HERDER. 

may  be  called  the  mythologist  of  German  literature,  on 
account  of  this  gift,  this  universal  feeling  of  the  spirit  of 
antiquity.  His  power  of  entering  into  all  the  shapes  and 
manifestations  of  fancy,  implies  in  himself  a  very  high 
degree  of  imagination.  His  mind  seems  to  have  been 
cast  in  so  universal  a  mould,  that  he  might  have  attained 
to  equal  eminence,  either  as  a  poet  or  philosopher." 

Notwithstanding  his  genius,  Herder  had  great  difficulties 
to  surmount — want  of  early  education  and  encouragement 
— poverty — and  a  serious  and  lasting  disease  of  the  eyes. 
He  was  a  most  laborious  and  indefatigable  student.  He  did 
not  attempt  to  arrive  at  truth  by  metaphysical  speculation, 
but  by  observation,  by  the  constant  study  of  nature  and  the 
mind,  in  all  its  works,  in  the  arts,  law,  language,  religion, 
medicine,  poetry,  &c. 

In  1819,  the  grand  duke  of  Weimar  ordered  a  tablet  of 
cast  iron  to  be  placed  on  his  grave,  with  the  inscription, 
Licht,  Licbe,  Lehen.     Light,  Love,  Life. 


GIOVANNI  BATTISTA  BELZONI. 

This  enterprising  traveller  was  born  at  Padua,  Italy,  in 
1778,  where  his  father  was  a  barber.  The  family,  how- 
ever, had  belonged  originally  to  Rome ;  and  it  is  related 
that  Belzoni,  when  only  thirteen  years  of  age,  betrayed 
his  disposition  for  travelling,  by  setting  out  one  day 
along  with  his  younger  brother  to  make  his  way  to  that 
city,  which  he  had  long  been  haunted  with  a  passionate 
desire  to  see,  from  hearing  his  parents  so  often  speak  of  it. 
The  failing  strength  and  courage  of  his  brother,  however, 
forced  him  to  relinquish  this  expedition,  after  they  had 
proceeded  as  far  as  the  Appenines;  and  he  returned  to 
assist  his  father  once  more  in  his  shop,  as  he  had  already, 
for  some  time,  been  doing.  But  when  he  was  three 
years  older,  nothing  could  detain  him  any  longer  in  his 
native  place ;  and  he  again  took  the  road  to  Rome,  which 
he  now  actually  reached.  It  is  said  that  on  his  first 
arrival  in  this  capital,  he  applied  himself  to  the  acquire- 
ment of  a  knowledge  of  the  art  of  constructing  machines 
for  the  conveyance  and  raising  of  water,  with  the  view 
probably  of  obtaining  a  livelihood  by  the  exhibition  of 
curious  or  amusing  experiments  in  that  department  of 
physics.  It  is  certain,  however,  that  he  eventually  adopted 
the  profession  of  a  monk.  The  arrival  of  Bonaparte  in 
Italy,  in   1800,  brought  him  the  opportunity,  which  he 


154  GIOVANNI  BATTISTA  BELZONI. 

embraced,  of  throwing  off  his  monastic  habit,  being,  by 
this  time,  heartily  tired  of  the  idleness  and  obscurity  to 
which  it  consigned  him.  He  then  pursued,  for  some  time, 
a  wandering  life,  having,  in  the  first  instance,  returned  to 
his  native  town,  and  then  proceeded  in  quest  of  employ- 
ment to  Holland,  from  whence,  in  about  a  year  afterwards, 
he  came  back  to  Italy.  By  this  time  he  had  attained  so 
uncommon  a  height,  with  strength  proportioned  to  it,  that 
he  was  an  object  of  wonder  whenever  l>e  was  seen.  It 
was  probably  with  the  expectation  of  being  able  to  turn 
these  personal  advantages  to  account,  that  he  determined, 
in  1803,  to  go  over  to  England.  On  arriving  there,  ac- 
cordingly, he  first  attempted  to  gain  a  maintenance  by 
walking  over  the  country  exhibiting  hydraulic  experiments, 
and  feats  of  muscular  strength  ;  and  accompanied  by  his 
wife,  an  Englishwoman  whom  he  had  married  soon  after 
his  arrival,  he  visited  with  this  object  all  the  principal  towns 
both  of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland.  He  continued  for  about 
nine  years  in  England.  In  1812,  he  sailed  with  his  wife 
for  Lisbon.  After  spending  some  time  in  that  city,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  Madrid,  where  he  attracted  considerable  attention 
by  his  performances.  From  Spain  he  went  to  Malta  ;  and 
here,  it  is  supposed,  the  idea  first  suggested  itself  to  him  of 
passing  over  to  Egypt,  as  others  of  his  countrymen  had 
already  done,  and  offering  his  services  to  the  Pacha,  the 
active  and  enterprising  Mohammed  Ali.  Accordingly, 
carrying  with  him  a  recommendation  from  a  Maltese  agent 
of  the  Pacha's,  he  proceeded,  still  accompanied  by  his  wife, 
to  Cairo.  On  presenting  himself  to  Ali,  he  was  immediately 
engaged,  on  the  strength  of  his  professed  skill  in  hydraulics, 
to  construct  a  machine  for  watering  some  pleasure  gardens 
at  Soubra,  on  the  Nile.  This  undertaking,  it  is  said,  he 
accomplished  to  the  Pacha's  satisfaction  ;  but  an  accident 
having  occurred  to  one  of  the  persons  looking  on,  at  the 
first  trial  of  the  machine,  the  Turkish  superstition,  under 


GIOVANNI  BATTISTA  BELZONI.  155 

the  notion  that  what  had  happened  was  a  bad  omen, 
would  not  suffer  the  use  of  it  to  be  continued.  Belzoni 
was  once  more  thrown  on  his  own  resources,  probably  as 
much  at  a  loss  as  ever,  what  course  to  adopt. 

At  this  time,  the  late  Mr.  Salt,  the  learned  orientalist, 
was  English  Consul  in  Egypt,  and  embracing  the  oppor- 
tunity which  his  situation  afforded  him,  was  actively 
employed  in  investigating  and  making  collections  of  the 
remains  of  antiquity  with  which  that  country  abounded. 
For  this  purpose  he  kept  several  agents  in  his  employ- 
ment, whose  business  it  was  to  make  researches,  in  all 
directions,  after  interesting  objects  of  this  description. 
To  Mr.  Salt,  Belzoni  now  offered  his  services  in  this 
capacity,  and  he  was  immediately  employed,  by  that 
gentleman,  in  an  affair  of  considerable  difficulty  — the  re- 
moving and  transporting  to  Alexandria  of  the  colossal 
granite  bust  of  Memnon,  which  lay  buried  in  the  sands 
near  Thebes.  The  manner  in  which  Belzoni  accom- 
plished this,  his  first  enterprise  in  his  new  line  of  pursuit, 
at  once  established  his  character  for  energy  and  intelli- 
gence. Dressing  himself  as  a  Turk,  he  proceeded  to  the 
spot,  and  there  half  persuaded  and  half  terrified  the  peas- 
antry into  giving  him  the  requisite  assistance  in  excavat- 
ing and  embarking  the  statue,  till  he  had  at  last  the  satis- 
faction of  seeing  it  safely  deposited  in  the  boat  intended 
for  its  conveyance  down  the  Nile.  It  reached  England-, 
and  was  placed  in  the  British  Museum. 

Belzoni  had  now  found  his  proper  sphere,  and  hence- 
forward his  whole  soul  was  engaged  in  the  work  of  explor- 
ing the  wonderful  country  in  which  he  was,  in  search  of 
the  monuments  of  its  ancient  arts  and  greatness.  In  this 
occupation  he  was  constantly  employed,  sometimes  in  the 
service  of  Mr.  Salt,  and  sometimes  on  his  own  account. 
The  energy  and  perseverance  of  character  which  he  ex- 
hibited, were  truly  astonishing.     In  despite  of  innumerable 


156  GIOVANNI  BATTISTA  BELZONI. 

obstacles,  partly  of  a  physical  nature,  and  partly  arising 
from  the  opposition  of  the  natives,  he  at  last  succeeded  in 
penetrating  into  the  interior  of  the  temple  of  Ihamboul,  in 
Upper  Egypt,  which  was  so  enveloped  in  sand,  that  only 
its  summit  was  visible.  On  returning  from  this  expedi- 
tion, he  next  undertook  a  journey  to  the  Valley  of  Bebanel 
Malonk,  beyond  Thebes,  where,  from  a  slight  inspection 
on  a  former  occasion  of  the  rocky  sides  of  the  hills,  he  had 
been  led  to  suspect  that  many  tombs  of  the  old  inhabitants 
would  be  found  concealed  in  them.  For  some  time  he 
searched  in  vain  in  all  directions  for  any  indication  of 
what  he  had  expected  to  find,  till  at  last  his  attention  was 
turned  to  a  small  fissure  in  the  rock,  which  presented  to 
his  experienced  eye  something  like  the  traces  of  human 
labor.  He  put  forward  his  hand  to  examine  it,  when  the 
stones,  on  his  touching  them,  tumbled  down,  and  discovered 
to  him  the  entrance  to  a  long  passage,  having  its  sides 
ornamented  with  sculpture  and  paintings.  He  at  once 
entered  the  cavern,  proceeded  forward,  and,  after  over- 
leaping several  obstacles,  found  himself  in  a  sepulchral 
chamber,  in  the  centre  of  which  stood  an  alabaster  sarco- 
phagus, covered  with  sculptures.  He  afterwards  exam- 
ined this  sarcophagus,  and  with  immense  labor,  took 
exact  copies  of  the  drawings,  consisting  of  nearly  a  thou- 
sand figures,  and  the  hieroglyphic  inscriptions,  amounting 
to  more  than  five  hundred,  which  he  found  on  the  walls  of 
the  tomb.  It  was  from  these  copies  that  Belzoni  formed 
the  representation  or  model  of  this  tomb,  which  he  after- 
wards exhibited  in  London  and  Paris. 

On  returning  to  Cairo  from  this  great  discovery,  he  im- 
mediately engaged  in  anew  investigation,  which  conducted 
him  to  another  perhaps  still  more  interesting. 

He  determined  to  make  an  attempt  to  penetrate  into 
one  of  the  pyramids.  At  length  in  the  pyramid  called 
Cephrenes,  he  discovered  the  entrance  to  a  passage,  which 


GIOVANNI  BATTISTA  BELZONI.  157 

led  him  into  the  centre  of  the  structure.  Here  he  found 
a  sepulchral  chamber,  with  a  sarcophagus  in  the  middle  of 
it,  containing  the  bones  of  a  bull — a  discovery,  which  has 
been  considered  as  proving  that  these  immense  edifices 
were  in  reality  erected  by  the  superstition  of  the  old  Egyp- 
tians, for  no  other  purpose  than  to  serve  each  as  a  sepulchre 
for  one  of  their  brute  divinities. 

Encouraged  by  the  splendid  success  which  attended  his 
efforts,  and  which  had  made  his  name  famous  in  all  parts 
of  the  literary  world,  Belzoni  engaged  in  various  other 
enterprises  of  a  similar  character.  He  also  made  several 
journeys  in  the  remote  parts  of  Egypt,  and  into  the  adjoin- 
ing regions  of  Africa.  He  set  sail  for  Europe  in  Septem- 
ber, 1819.  The  first  place  which  he  visited  was  his 
native  city,  from  which  he  had  been  absent  nearly  twenty 
years.  He  presented  to  the  Paduans  two  lion-headed 
granite  statues,  which  were  placed  in  a  conspicuous  situa- 
tion in  the  palace  of  Justice.  A  medal  was  at  the  same 
time  struck  in  honor  of  the  giver,  on  which  were  inscribed 
his  name  and  a  recital  of  his  exploits.  From  Italy  Belzoni 
hastened  to  England,  where  the  rumor  of  his  discoveries 
had  already  excited  a  greater  interest  than  in  any  other 
country.  In  1820,  an  account  of  his  travels  and  dis- 
coveries appeared  in  a  quarto  volume,  with  another  volume 
of  plates,  in  folio.  It  soon  passed  through  three  editions, 
while  translations  of  it  into  French  and  Italian  appeared 
at  Paris  and  Milan.  After  this,  Belzoni  visited  succes- 
sively, France,  Russia,  Sweden,  and  Denmark.  Return- 
ing to  England  he  undertook,  under  the  auspices  of  gov- 
ernment, the  perilous  attempt  of  penetrating  into  central 
Africa.  Proceeding  to  Tangiers  he  went  from  thence  to 
Fez.  Unexpected  difficulties  prevented  his  advancing  in 
that  direction.  On  this  disappointment,  he  sailed  for 
Madeira,  and  from  thence,  in  October,  1S23,  he  set  out 
for  the  mouth  of  the  river  Benin,  on  the  western  coast  of 
14 


258  GIOVANNI  BATTISTA  BELZONI. 

Africa,  with  the  intention  of  making  his  way  to  the  in- 
terior from  that  point.  A  malady,  however,  attacked  him 
almost  as  soon  as  he  stepped  his  foot  on  shore.  He  ex- 
pired at  Gato,  on  the  3d  of  December,  1823.  His  remains 
were  interred  on  the  shore,  under  a  plane  tree.  An  in- 
scription in  English  was  afterwards  placed  over  his  grave.  ■ 


JONAS  KING. 

While  the  tribute  of  admiration  is  readily  awarded  to 
such  men  as  Park,  and  Ledyard,  and  Belzoni,  who  have 
manifested  an  unconquerable  perseverance,  and  a  noble 
enthusiasm,  and  enlargement  of  views,  in.  extending  the 
boundaries  of  science,  and  geographical  discovery,  there 
is  still  another  class  of  men  worthy  of  more  exalted  honor. 
We  should  be  among  the  last  to  disparage  the  efforts  of 
such  men  as  we  have  named.  We  consider  them  as  bene- 
factors of  mankind.  We  rejoice  that,  they  could  break 
away  from  the  call  of  avarice,  from  the  syren  voice  of  plea- 
sure, and  from  the  powerful  attractions  of  home  and  native 
land,  and  spend  their  days  in  travelling  through  savage 
deserts,  encountering  the  fierce  suns  of  the  tropics,  and 
still  fiercer  men.  We  should  rejoice  to  visit  the  grave  of 
Belzoni,  and  remove  the  rubbish  which  time,  or  the  hand 
of  the  Bedouin,  may  have  gathered  around  his  tomb.  The 
names  of  Hornemann,  and  Salt,  and  Clapperton,  and 
Parry,  are  not  to  be  named  lightly.  They  accomplished 
very  much  for  the  cause  of  science,  and  indirectly  for  the 
moral  and  spiritual  emancipation  of  our  race.  Most  of 
them  were  cut  down  early,  but  they  did  not  fall  into  an 
untimely,  much  less  into  a  dishonorable  grave.  Their 
names  will  be  mentione4  with  respect  in  every  future  age 
of  the  world. 


160  JONAS  KING. 

Notwithstanding,  we  are  called  to  contemplate  a  higher 
species  of  excellence,  a  more  noble  disinterestedness,  a 
more  enduring  renown.  Men  have  gone  into  all  the  world 
to  do  good  ;  not  to  explore  pyramids,  nor  to  measure 
obelisks,  nor  to  watch  the  cjianges  of  heavenly  bodies,  but 
to  sympathize  in  human  calamity,  to  give  to  benighted 
men  the  lamp  of  eternal  life,  to  extend  the  reign  of  civili- 
zation and  of  the  Christian  faith  ;  not  to  send  back  pol- 
ished vases,  and  granite  statues,  and  classic  fragments,  but 
the  report  of  nations  saved,  the  joy  of  redeemed  men,  and 
the  assured  promise  of  still  more  glorious  achievements. 
These  men  have  not  despised  science,  and  have  not  been 
unmindful  of  classic  recollections.  Still  they  went  for  a 
higher  purpose.  They  devoted  themselves  to  a  more  self- 
denying  work.  A  nobler  enthusiasm  filled  their  souls,  a 
richer  treasure  freighted  their  ships.  They  carried  with 
them  the  hopes  of  heaven.  They  travelled  for  eternity. 
Many  of  them  fell  in  the  first  onset,  but  their  ashes  rest  in 
hope,  and  angels  guard  their  repose. 

Among  the  most  honored  names  in  this  class  of  the  ben- 
efactors of  man,  is  that  of  Jonas  King.  In  delineating  a 
few  of  the  incidents  in  his  eventful  life,  we  are  sure  that 
the  consideration  that  we  may  be  advancing  that  cause  to 
which  he  has  devoted  his  days,  will  apologise  for  what 
in  other  circumstances  might  seem  inconsiderate,  or  in- 
expedient. His  name  is  public  property.  It  is  a  part  of 
his  means  of  doing  good. 

Jonas  King  was  born  in  1793,  at  Hawley,  a  town  in 
the  western  part  of  the  county  of  Franklin,  in  the  State  of 
Massachusetts.  His  parents  are  worthy  and  estimable 
people,  but  were  entirely  unable  to  assist  their  son  to  ob- 
tain the  advantages  of  education.  It  seems  from  the  fact 
which  ^ve  are  about  to  relate,  that  he  was  not  in  circum- 
stances, in  his  native  town,  to  acquire  that  common  school 
learning  which  is  the  rich  legacy  of  nearly  all  the  children 


JONAS  KING.  iQi 

of  New  England.  In  December,  1807,  William  H.  May- 
nard,  Esq.  was  engaged  in  instructing  a  school  in  Plain- 
field,  a  town  adjacent  to  Hawley.  One  cold  morning,  on 
entering  his  school-room,  Mr.  Maynard  observed  a  boy 
that  he  had  not  seen  before,  sitting  on  one  of  the  benches. 
The  lad  soon  made  known  his  errand  to  his  inslructer. 
He  was  fifteen  years  old  ;  his  parents  lived  seven  miles  dis- 
tant ;  he  wanted  an  education,  and  had  come  from  home 
on  foot,  that  morning,  to  see  if  Mr.  Maynard  could  help 
him  contrive  how  to  obtain  it.  Mr.  Maynard  asked  him  if 
he  had  any  acquaintances  in  the  place,  who  would  assist 
him  in  acquiring  an  education  ?  No.  Can  your  parents 
render  any  assistance  ?  No.  Have  you  any  friends  who 
will  help  you  ?  No.  Well,  how  do  you  expect  to  obtain 
an  education  ?  I  don't  know,  but  I  thought  I  would  come 
and  see  you.  Mr.  Maynard  told  him  to  remain  that  day, 
and  he  would  see  what  could  be  done.  He  discovered 
that  young  King  was  possessed  of  good  sense,  but  of  no 
uncommon  brilliancy.  He  was  particularly  struck  with 
the  cool  and  resolute  manner  in  which  he  undertook  to 
conquer  difficulties,  which  would  have  intimidated  com- 
mon minds.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  Mr.  Maynard  made 
provision  for  having  him  boarded,  through  the  winter,  in 
the  family  with  himself,  the  lad  paying  for  his  services  by 
manual  labor.  He  gave  himself  diligently  to  study,  in 
which  he  made  commendable,  but  not  rapid  proficiency, 
embracing  every  opportunity  of  reading  and  conversation 
for  obtaining  knowledge  ;  and  thus  he  spent  the  winter. 

The  necessary  preparation  for  college  was  acquired,  we 
believe,  under  the  tuition  of  the  Rev.  Jeremiah  HalIock,of 
Plainfield.  To  this  gentleman's  faithful  care  and  thorough 
instruction,  a  large  portion  of  the  young  men  who  acquir- 
ed a  liberal  education  for  thirty  years  past,  in  the  western 
counties  of  Massachusetts  and  in  the  adjoining  por- 
tions of  New  York  and  Vermont,  are  greatly  indebted. 
14* 


162  JONAS  KING. 

A  majority  of  a  number  of  the  classes,  who  have  been  edu- 
ca'ted  at  Williams  College,  pursued  their  classical,  prepara- 
tory studies  at  Plainfield,  and  departed,  in  a  body,  to  their 
collegiate  residence,  with  the  truly  patriarchal  benedictions 
of  their  venerated  instructer. 

After  spending  the  usual  time,  of  four  years,  at  Williams 
College,  Mr.  King  graduated,  in  1816.  The  class  with 
which  he  was  connected,  was  highly  respectable,  both  in 
numbers  and  talents.  To  Mr.  King,  at  commencement, 
was  assigned  one  of  the  principal  appointments — the 
philosophical  oration.  For  means  of  pecuniary  support, 
he  was  almost  wholly  dependant  on  his  own  vigorous 
efforts,  in  teaching  school,  and  in  other  ways.  By  the 
recommendation  of  the  Rev.  President  Moore,  which  was 
very  full  in  regard  to  all  points,  Mr.  King  was  admitted 
to  the  patronage  of  the  American  Education  Society, 
being  the  sixth  on  a  list  which  now  numbers  more  than 
fourteen  hundred.  The  amount  of  assistance,  however, 
which  he  received,  was  very  limited,  as  the  resources  of 
the  society  wer€,  at  that  time,  small,  and  his  collegiate 
course  terminated  soon  after  he  received  the  first  appropria- 
tion. On  leaving  Williams  College,  he  repaired  to  the  The- 
ological Seminary,  at  Andover,  to  avail  himself  of  the  in- 
valuable opportunities  which  are  there  enjoyed,  in  the  study 
of  the  oriental  languages.  He  left  the  seminary,  after  com- 
pleting the  full  course,  in  1819.  Of  his  classmates,  six  are 
missionaries,  and  two  are  presidents  of  colleges.  At  the 
foundation  of  the  new  college  in  Amherst,  in  1821,  Mr. 
King  was  immediately  named  as  professor  of  the  Oriental 
Languages  and  Literature.  A  part  of  the  intervening  time 
between  the  close  of  his  residence  at  Andover,  and  this  ap- 
pointment, was  passed  in  missionary  labors  in  the  south- 
ern States.  Feeling  his  need  of  more  ample  preparation 
to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  professorship,  he  concluded 
to  visit  France,  and  avail  himself  of  the  eminent  advan- 


JONAS  KING.  163 

tages  which  the  French  capital  holds  out  for  oriental 
studies.  His  expenses  were  defrayed  by  the  hands  of  gen- 
erous private  friendship.  After  residing  some  time  in 
Paris,  news  was  received  of  the  death  of  the  Rev.  Levi 
Parsons,  a  distinguished  missionary  of  the  American 
Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions,  in  Palestine, 
His  only  associate,  the  Rev.  Pliny  Fisk,  in  consequence 
of  the  bereavement,  greatly  needed  a  fellow-laborer,  who, 
with  a  knowledge  of  Arabic  and  other  languages,  could 
accompany  him  in  his  contemplated  journies,  preparatory 
to  the  establishment  of  the  mission  with  which  he  was 
connected.  Having  received  an  intimation  that  Mr.  King 
might  be  induced  to  offer  his  services  for  a  limited  period, 
he  wrote  to  him  immediately,  earnestly  requesting  that 
some  arrangement  might  be  made  to  that  effect.  Mr. 
King  immediately  endeavored  to  ascertain  the  path  of 
duty  ;  and  with  the  advice  of  his  intimate  and  valuable 
friend,  S.  V.  S.  Wilder,  Esq.,  an  American  merchant, 
then  residing  in  Paris,  concluded  to  offer  his  services  for 
three  years.  Mr.  Wilder  generously  offered  $100  a  year 
for  the  time  specified  ;  and  two  other  gentlemen  made, 
liberal  donations  towards  defraying  the  necessary  expenses. 
In  referring  to  the  dangers,  to  which  he  might  be  exposed, 
by  travelling  in  unhealthy  climates,  and  by  other  causes, 
Mr.  King  observes,  "  Here,  (at  Paris,)  I  see  around  me, 
with  crippled  limbs  and  scarred  bodies,  men,  who  risked 
their  lives  at  Jena,  and  Marengo,  at  Austerlitz,  and 
Waterloo,  to  gain  a  little  perishable  glory,  and  shall  not  I 
risk  as  much  in  the  cause  of  the  Prince  of  Peace,  who 
gives  to  all  his  faithful  followers  the  high  prize  of  immortal 
glory,  and  joys  inconceivable  ?  " 

On  Monday,  September  30,  1822,  Mr.  King  left  Paris 
for  Marseilles.  He  passed  through  Fontainbleau,  Fontenay, 
Lyons,  Nismes,  &c.  We  copy  a  few  extracts  from  his 
very  interesting  journals.     "  On  the  first  of  October,  awoke 


164  JONAS  KING. 

in  the  morning,  just  as  the  twilight  appeared.  I  had  rode 
all  night.  When  I  had  fallen  asleep,  it  was  rainy,  dark, 
and  cheerless.  But  the  rain  was  now  past,  and  the  clouds 
were  all  dispersed,  except  a  light,  fleecy  girdle,  hanging 
round  the  horizon,  above  which,  in  the  east,  the  morning 
star  seemed  to  twinkle  with  uncommon  beauty ;  and  in 
the  west,  the  moon,  just  past  the  full,  was  looking  mildly 
down  upon  the  Loire,  whose  waters  faintly  reflected  her 
light,  as  they  glided  silently  along,  at  the  foot  of  the 
elevation  on  which  I  stood.  As  daylight  increased,  cul- 
tivated hills,  beautiful  vineyards,  and  fertile  plains,  rose  to 
my  view,  and  presented  one  of  the  most  lovely  scenes, 
I  had  ever  witnessed." 

At  Lyons  Mr.  King  remarks,  "  My  emotions  were  in- 
describable. I  stood  on  a  spot  where  the  Romans  had 
once  resided ;  where  their  emperors  had  lived,  and 
erected  magnificent  temples  to  their  idols  ;  where  Han- 
nibal and  Csesar,  with  their  conquering  armies,  had  passed 
along;  where  hordes  of  Saracens  had  spread  their  deso- 
lations ;  and  where  Pothinus,  and  Irenaeus,  with  nineteen 
thousand  followers,  took  their  flight  to  glory,  amid  the 
flames  of  persecution.  I  followed  them,  in  my  imagina- 
tion, through  their  last  conflict,  till  I  saw  them  bowing 
before  the  throne  of  God,  and  joining  in  ascriptions  of 
praise  to  the  Lamb  that  was  slain." 

On  the  28th  of  October,  while  sailing  out  of  the 
harbor  of  Marseilles,  Mr.  King  exclaims,  "  I  could  not 
but  feel  some  emotions  on  leaving  a  country,  where  I  had 
spent  one  of  the  most  interesting  years  of  my  life. 

''  Land  of  science  and  of  sin,  of  gaiety  and  pleasure  !  I 
bid  thee  farewell.  The  sun  shines  brightly  on  thy  beau- 
tiful fields  ;  the  mild  gales  breathe  softly  on  thy  enchant- 
ing hills  ;  and  along  the  borders  of  thy  streams,  in  the 
midst  of  vines  and  olives  lie  scattered  the  cottages  of 
peasants,  and  the  mansions  of  nobles.     Thou  hast,  within 


JONAS  KING.  165 

thy  bosom,  all  that  can  gratify  genius,  and  taste,  and  sense. 
O  when  shall  the  spirit  of  Massillon  rest  upon  thy  priests ! 
When  shall  the  light  of  millennial  glory  dawn  upon  thy 
population !  With  fervent  prayers  for  thy  prosperity,  I 
bid  thee  farewell." 

On  the  2d  of  November,  Mr.  King  reached  Malta,  and 
was  warmly  welcomed  by  the  missionaries,  Messrs.  Fisk 
and  Temple.  On  the  10th  of  January,  1823,  Mr.  King, 
in  company  with  Messrs.  Fisk  and  Wolff,  reached  Alex- 
andria in  Egypt.  In  this  city  they  were  actively  employed 
about  ten  days,  when  they  departed  for  Rosetta  and 
Cairo.  In  the  course  of  their  travels  through  this  land 
of  "  signs  and  wonders,"  they  took  occasion  to  visit 
many  specimens  of  ancient  art  and  science.  In  describ- 
ing the  antiquities  of  Gornon,  near  the  ''  hundred  gated" 
Thebes,  the  travellers  remark  :  "  The  principal  room  in 
the  tomb  visited  by  Belzoni,  was  fifty  feet  by  thirty. 
Here,  when  the  tomb  was  opened,  was  a  sarcophagus  of 
alabaster,  which  has  been  removed  to  London,  and  is  now 
in  the  museum.  Adjoining  this  is  a  room  thirty  feet 
square,  on  three  sides  of  which  is  a  projection  which 
forms  a  kind  of  table.  All  the  walls  of  the  rooms  and  of 
the  passages  are  covered  with  hieroglyphics  of  the  finest 
kind.  In  one  place  are  portrayed  priests,  dressed  in 
white,  handling  serpents;  in  another,  persons  offering 
sacrifices  ;  in  a  third,  a  company  of  prisoners  ;  in  a  fourth, 
dead  bodies,  &c.  All  these  apartments  are  cut  out 
of  the  solid  rock.  How  much  labor  to  prepare  a  tomb  for 
one  man." 

After  visiting  many  other  interesting  spots,  the  travellers 
returned  to  Cairo.  The  time,  which  they  spent  in  Egypt, 
was  about  three  months.  In  connection  with  Mr.  Wolff, 
they  preached  the  gospel  in  English,  French,  German, 
Italian,  Greek,  Hebrew,  and  Arabic  ;  distributed  about 
nine  hundred  copies  of  the  Bible  or  parts  of  it,  in  twelve 
languages  ;  and  nearly  three  thousand  tracts. 


166  JONAS  KING. 

On  the  7th  of  April,  1823,  Mr.  King,  after  suffering 
severely  from  the  scorching  winds  of  the  desert,  and  from 
the  want  of  water,  reached  the  "  promised  land."  We 
extract  a  few  paragraphs  in  regard  to  the  journey. 

*'  After  some  refreshment,  we  took  a  Persian  Testa- 
ment, and  Genesis  in  Arabic,  and  went  to  Hadgi  Moham- 
med, the  Dervish.  We  sat  down  with  him  on  his  blanket 
spread  on  the  sand,  with  the  sun  beating  on  our  heads, 
and  then  showed  him  our  books.  He  reads  well  in 
Persian  and  Arabic.  Of  the  other  Dervishes,  not  one 
knows  how  to  read.  While  we  were  reading  with  him, 
most  of  the  Dervishes,  and  several  Turks  and  Armenians, 
gathered  around  and  listened.  Mohammed  read  in  Gene- 
sis, and  said  that  it  was  very  good.  Another  Turk  then 
took  it  and  read  that  God  rested  on  the  seventh  day,  and 
remarked  angrily,  that  it  was  infidelity  to  say  that  God 
rested.  Mr.  Wolff  tried  to  explain,  but  to  no  purpose,  till 
he  said  he  had  given  such  a  book  to  the  Mufti  of  Jerusalem, 
who  said  it  was  good.  This  argument  silenced  him  at 
once.  We  gave  the  book  of  Genesis  to  Mohammed. 
While  we  were  sitting  with  him,  Elias,  the  Maronite,  be- 
gan to  beat  his  mother,  because  she  did  not  cook  his 
victuals  as  he  wished.  Mr.  Wolff  went  to  him  and  re- 
proved him  severely  for  such  conduct.  The  Turks  said 
tauntmghj^  '  He  is  a  Christian.'  We  were  glad  they  heard 
Mr.  Wolff's  admonition,  in  which  he  showed  them  how 
inconsistent  his  behavior  was  with  the  spirit  of  the  gospel. 
The  unnatural  man  at  length  relented,  and  went  to  his 
mother  and  kissed  her  hand  in  token  of  acknowledgement. 
Towards  evening,  two  Turks  had  a  dispute,  which  finally 
led  to  blows.  Hadgi  Ibrahim  interfered,  and,  by  loud 
words,  and  a  few  blows,  settled  the  quarrel.  After  this, 
the  Dervish  Mustapha  became  very  angry  with  his  ass, 
and,  like  Balaam,  fell  to  beating  him,  and  concluded  by 
calling  him  a  Jeic.'' 


JONAS  KING.  1(57 

On  the  14th  of  March,  the  travellers  experienced  a 
strong  scorching  wind  from  the  south  east.  The  air 
seemed  as  if  it  issued  from  the  mouth  of  an  oven.  Many 
of  the  Arabs  bound  a  handkerchief  over  their  mouths  and 
noses,  as  a  defence  against  it.  The  thermometer  in  their 
tent  was  at  99°.  The  wind  sometimes  blew  the  sand  over 
the  hills  like  snow  in  a  storm. 

About  4  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  of  the  25th  of  April, 
they  "  stood  within  the  gates  of  Jerusalem."  "  The  scenes 
and  events  of  four  thousand  years,"  say  they,  "  rushed 
upon  our  minds;  events  in  which  Heaven,  and  Earth,  and 
Hell,  had  felt  the  deepest  interest.  This  was  the  place 
selected  by  the  Almighty  for  his  dwelling,  and  here  his 
glory  was  rendered  visible.  This  was  the  perfection  of 
beauty  and  the  glory  of  all  lands.  Here  David  sat  and 
tuned  his  harp,  and  sung  the  praises  of  Jehovah.  Hither 
the  tribes  came  up  to  worship.  Here  enraptured  prophets 
saw  bright  visions  of  the  world  above,  and  received  mes- 
sages from  on  high  for  guilty  man.  Here  our  Lord  and 
Saviour  came  in  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  groaned,  and 
wept,  and  poured  out  his  soul  unto  death,  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  man." 

While  resident  in  this  country,  Mr.  King  visited  the 
principal  towns,  and  objects  of  curiosity  in  Palestine,  re- 
sided, some  time,  for  the  purpose  of  acquiring  Arabic,  at 
a  monastery  on  Mount  Lebanon,  and  performed  various 
tours  in  the  surrounding  regions  of  Syria,  and  the  ancient 
Phoenicia. 

On  the  26th  of  September,  1825,  three  years  after  leav- 
ing Paris,  Mr.  King  finally  departed  from  the  Holy  Land, 
proceeded  to  Tarsus,  the  birth-place  of  Paul,  and  from 
thence  travelled  by  land  to  Smyrna,  where  he  arrived  on 
the  23d  of  December,  eighty-nine  days  after  leaving  his 
brethren  in  Syria.  At  Smyrna  he  remained  till  the  15th 
of  June,  1826,  in  the  study  of  modern  Greek,  and  then 


168  JONAS  KING. 

passed  by  land  to  the  sea  of  Marmora,  and  across  that  sea 
to  Constantinople.  "While  in  this  city,"  Mr.  King  re- 
marks, "  I  viewed  the  place  from  the  tower  of  Pera.  The 
prospect  is  enchanting.  Hills  and  vallies  covered  with 
the  habitations  of  600,000  souls  ;  the  mighty  domes  and 
lofty  minarets  of  mosques ;  the  palace  of  the  sultan,  en- 
circled with  gardens,  beautiful  as  Eden ;  the  waters  of  the 
Bosphorus,  and  the  sea  of  Marmora,  dividing  the  continent 
of  Europe  and  Asia,  and  whitened  with  sails  ;  and  lofty 
mountains,  among  which  is  Olympus,  with  everlasting 
snows  upon  his  hoary  head  ;  all  combine  to  present  a 
view,  perhaps  unequalled  for  beauty  and  grandeur,  in  any 
part  of  the  world." 

While  in  Syria,  Mr.  King  published  a  Farewell  Letter, 
having  special  reference  to  the  Armenian  population. 
This  letter  being  translated  into  Turkish,  with  considera- 
ble additions,  by  Mr.  Goodell,  found  its  way  to  Constan- 
tinople, and  produced  a  very  great  excitement  among 
the  hundred  thousand  Armenians  in  that  capital.  A 
council  of  the  clergy  and  laity  was  immediately  held,  and 
after  much  discussion  it  was  resolved,  that  until  twenty- 
five  years  be  expired,  no  individual  be  allowed  to  become 
a  monk,  or  priest,  that  no  boys  nor  women  be  permitted 
to  go  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Jerusalem,  and  that  if  men  go, 
they  be  not  allowed  to  remain  more  than  four  days  in 
Jerusalem,  that  all  the  former  priests,  deacons,  and 
bishops,  in  the  convent  at  Jerusalem,  be  required  to  leave 
immediately." 

Mr.  King  returned  by  water  to  Smyrna,  in  July.  In 
August  he  went  on  board  the  United  States'  ship  Erie, 
bound  to  Mahon,  in  Minorca,  and  touched  at  Tripoli 
and  Algiers  in  Africa,  on  his  way  to  that  port.  From 
thence  he  proceeded  to  Spain,  France,  and  England, 
making  some  stay  in  the  two  latter  countries. 

To  provide  for  the  wants  of  the  Armenian  population. 


JONAS  KING.  169 

Mr.  King  secured  donations  in  France  and  England,  to 
the  amount  of  about  eight  hundred  dollars,  with  which  he 
purchased  fonts  of  Armenian  and  Arabic  types.  Among 
the  contributors  were  some  of  the  most  distinguished  bene- 
factors and  philanthropists  of  the  age.  A  printing  press, 
for  the  Armenian  language,  was  forwarded  to  Malta  about 
the  same  time. 

Mr.  King  arrived  in  his  native  country  on  the  4th  of 
September,  1827.  During  six  or  eight  months  subsequent, 
he  was  employed  on  agencies,  in  the  northern  and  middle 
States,  in  behalf  of  the  missionary  cause.  Having  been 
invited  by  a  number  of  friends,  to  proceed  to  Greece  in 
one  of  the  vessels,  which  was  to  carry  out  supplies  to  the 
afflicted  inhabitants  of  that  country,  he  resigned  his  pro- 
fessorship of  the  Oriental  languages  in  Amherst  college, 
and  early  in  June,  1828,  embarked  at  New  York,  for 
Greece.  He  arrived  at  Paros  on  the  26th  of  July,  and 
was  cordially  welcomed  by  the  Greek  government.  Since 
that  time  he  has  been  very  actively  engaged,  in  connection 
with  his  lady,  a  native  Greek,  in  establishing  schools,  in 
circulating  tracts,  and  diffusing,  in  various  ways,  the 
principles  of  knowledge  and  of  Christianity.  His  labors 
are  attended  with  very  marked  and  encouraging  success. 
He  has  again  become  connected  with  the  American  Board 
of  Missions. 

We  close  this  brief  memoir  with  a  letter  from  Mr.  King, 
as  honorable  to  his  feelings  as  it  was  gratifying  to  the  gen- 
tlemen connected  with  the  Society  to  whom  it  was  ad- 
dressed. 

''  Tenos,  (Greece,)  "Zlth  Mmj,  1830. 

"  In  the  year  of  1816,  as  near  as  I  recollect,  just  as  I 

was  about  finishing  my  collegiate  studies,  I  received  from 

the  American  Education  Society  a  donation  of  fifty  dollars  ; 

and  though  it  was  not  expected,  as  I  suppose,   by  the 

15 


170  JONAS  KING. 

Society,  that  I  should  ever  refund  that  sum,  and  though, 
since  the  refunding  system  has  been  adopted,  it  is  the 
custom  of  the  Society,  as  I  am  informed,  with  regard  to 
that  system,  to  make  an  exception  in  favor  of  missionaries, 
still  I  am  happy  to  return  the  above  mentioned  sum,  with 
the  interest,  which,  by  this  time  nearly  equals  the  prin- 
cipal ;  and  I  therefore  send  you  one  hundred  dollars,  which 
I  wish  you  to  accept  as  payment  for  the  fifty  dollars,  which 
I  received  about  fourteen  years  ago.  It  is  not  long,  since 
I  have  had  it  in  my  power  to  remit  this  sum,  which  I  hope 
may  be  the  means  of  aiding  some  one  more  worthy  than 
myself." 


ISAAC  MILNER. 

This  distinguished  mathematician,  and  exemplary- 
divine,  was  born  in  the  neighborhood  of  Leeds,  England, 
in  the  year  1751.  His  father  was  a  man  of  strong  under- 
standing, who,  having  felt,  in  his  own  case,  the  want  of  a 
good  education,  formed  an  early  resolution  to  remedy  that 
defect  in  his  children,  as  far  as  in  him  lay.  Accordingly, 
Isaac,  the  youngest,  was  sent,  at  six  years  of  age,  with  his 
brother  Joseph,  to  the  grammar  school  of  his  native  town, 
where  he  made  a  very  rapid  progress  in  classical  learning. 
Just  as  he  was  entering  upon  the  study  of  the  Greek  lan- 
guage, however,  in  his  tenth  year,  the  death  of  his  father, 
who  had  been  unfortunate  in  business,  and  had  suffered 
materially  in  his  circumstances  from  the  incidents  of  the 
rebellion  of  1745,  blighted  all  his  prospects  of  a  literary 
education  ;  his  mother  being  under  the  painful  necessity  of 
taking  him  from  school,  and  placing  him  in  a  situation  in 
Leeds,  in  which  he  would  have  an  opportunity  of  learning 
several  branches  of  the  woolen  manufacture.  His  father 
had  been  a  master-weaver,  and  when  he  fell  into  difficul- 
ties, his  sons,  lads  as  they  were,  rose  up  early,  and  sat  up 
late,  to  contribute,  by  the  produceof  their  spinning-wheels, 
to  the  support  of  the  family ;  which  was  placed  in  such 
straitened  circumstances,  that  Joseph,  requiring  a  Greek 
book,  while  at  school,  to  enable  him  to  pass  into  a  higher 


172  '  ISAAC  MILNER. 

class,  his  father  sent  it  home,  one  Saturday  night,  instead 
of  a  joint  of  meat,  for  their  Sunda3''s  dinner,  not  having 
the  means  of  procuring  both.  When  his  death  deprived 
his  wife  and  children  of  the  material  advantage  of  his 
assistance,  Joseph,  during  the  intervals  of  school,  and 
Isaac,  before  he  went  to  his  work  as  an  apprentice,  and 
after  he  came  home  from  it,  rising  in  winter,  many  hours 
before  day-break,  and  working  by  candle-light,  plied  the 
shuttle  incessantly,  for  the  better  support  of  their  mother, 
left  in  an  ill  state  of  health,  to  get  a  scanty  living  by  the 
labor  of  her  hands.  Isaac  remained  with  his  master  for 
several  years,  until  his  brother  Joseph,  (who  from  the  hum- 
ble station  of  chapel  clerk  of  Catharine  Hall,  Cambridge, 
in  which  capacity,  supported  by  several  admirers  of  his 
extraordinary  learning  in  Leeds,  he  entered  that  university, 
soon  after  the  death  of  his  father,  had  become  head-master 
of  the  grammar  school,  and  afterwards  lecturer  of  the 
principal  church  in  Hull,)  from  an  income  of  ^200  a  year, 
generously  resolved  to  take  upon  himself  the  charge  of  his 
education  for  the  church.  Before,  however,  he  had  him 
removed  to  Hull,  he  commissioned  a  clergyman  at  Leeds 
to  ascertain  what  were  his  attainments.  The  degree  of 
knowledge,  which  he  had  acquired,  the  accuracy  of  his 
ideas,  and  the  astonishing  command  of  language,  which  he 
possessed,  fully  satisfied  him  of  the  competency  of  the  lad 
for  the  situation  in  which  it  was  intended  to  place  him.  A 
few  days  after,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  he  left  Leeds  and 
the  occupation  of  a  weaver,  for  his  brother's  dwelling,  and 
the  more  congenial  pursuits  of  a  literary  life.  Though 
still  but  a  boy,  he  was  found  to  have  been  so  well  grounded 
in  the  classics  by  Moore,  the  usher  of  the  grammar-school 
at  Leeds,  as  to  be  able  to  render  material  assistance  to  his 
brother,  in  teaching  the  lower  boys  of  his  crowded  classes. 
Whilst  not  thus  engaged,  he  pursued  his  own  studies,  with 
his  wonted  diligence,  and  soon  became  a  complete  and 


ISAAC  MILNER.  I73 

accomplished  classic.  In  mathematics,  also,  his  attain- 
ments must  also  at  this  time  have  been  considerable,  as  his 
brother,  whose  pre-eminence,  as  a  scholar,  lay  not  in  these 
pursuits,  on  the  occurrence  of  any  algebraical  difficulty, 
was  in  the  habit  of  sending  to  him  for  its  solution.  Having 
thus  redoubled  his  diligence,  to  make  up  for  the  time  he 
had  lost, — well  prepared  by  a  most  laborious  and  success- 
ful, if  not  a  long  course  of  study,  aided  by  natural  talents 
of  unusual  depth  and  splendor,  to  make  a  conspicuous 
figure  at  the  university — he  was  entered  a  sizar,  (an  indi- 
gent student  supported  by  benefactions  called  exhibitions,) 
at  Queen's  college,  Cambridge,  in  the  year  1770,  where  he 
greatly  distinguished  himself  by  his  learning  and  applica- 
tion. He  took  his  bachelor's  degree  in  1774,  when  he 
attained  the  high  honor  of  being  at  once  the  senior  wrangler 
of  his  year,  and  the  first  Smith's  prize-man.  So  strongly, 
indeed,  was  his  superiority  over  all  his  competitors  marked, 
on  this  occasion,  that  contrary  to  the  usual  practice,  it  was 
deemed  right,  by  the  examiners,  to  interpose  a  blank  space 
between  them,  and  he  was  honored  with  the  designation 
of  Incomparabilis,  a  distinction  which  has  never  been 
conferred,  but  in  one  other  instance.  Nor  was  his  learn- 
ing confined  to  mathematics,  for  he  was  not  less  eminent 
in  other  walks  of  science  and  literature.  In  theology,  we 
learn  from  Bishop  Watson,  that  he  was  so  deeply  read,  that 
when  he  kept  his  act,  the  divinity  school  was  thronged 
with  auditors ;  and  their  curiosity  was  amply  gratified  by 
listening  to  what  the  prelate  terms  a  "  real  academical 
entertainment."  The  circumstance  of  these  disputations 
being  held  in  Latin,  proves  also  that  Milner  must  have 
made  great  progress  in  classical  knowledge. 

In  the  following  year,  Mr.  Milner  was  elected  a  fellow 
of  his  college.     In  1783  and  in  1785,  he  acted  as  mode- 
rator in  the  schools;  was  nominated,  in   1782,  one  of  the 
proctors,  and  in  1783,  a  taxor  of  the  university.     In  the 
15* 


174  ISAAC  MILNER. 

latter  year,  also,  he  was  chosen  to  be  the  first  Jacksonian 
professor  of  natural  and  experimental  philosophy  and 
chemistry,  in  which  sciences  he  had  previously  given 
several  courses  of  public  lectures  in  the  university,  with 
great  acceptance. 

Whilst  at  college,  he  formed  an  intimacy  with  Mr. 
Wilberforce,  whom  he  is  said  to  have  been  instrumental  in 
bringing  to  the  decided  adoption  of  those  views  of  religion, 
which  he  has  since  so  steadily  maintained,  and  adorned 
by  a  consistent  life.  By  his  means,  Mr.  Milner  was  intro- 
duced to  the  acquaintance  of  Mr.  Pitt ;  and  in  the  year 
1787,  these  three  eminent  men  set  out  together  on  a  tour 
to  the  continent,  in  which  they  had  not  proceeded  far 
before  Mr.  Pitt  was  recalled  home  in  consequence  of  some 
change  in  the  ministry,  which  led  to  his  elevation  to  the 
premiership.  His  companions  accompanied  him  to  Eng- 
land, where  their  friendship  continued  uninterrupted  till 
the  death  of  Mr.  Pitt,  and  afterwards  of  Mr.  Milner. 

In  the  following  year,  1788,  Mr.  Milner  was  elected 
president  of  the  college,  to  which,  as  a  student,  he  had 
been  so  bright  an  ornament,  and  about  the  same  time,  took 
his  degree  of  doctor  in  divinity. 

For  some  years  previously,  the  college,  which  had  been 
the  asylum  of  Erasmus,  was  rapidly  declining  in  its  repu- 
tation for  learning  and  discipline  ;  but  from  the  moment  of 
his  assuming  the  reins  of  its  government,  he  labored  inde- 
fatigably  and  successfully  to  restore  its  ancient  character 
for  both.  He  introduced  into  its  fellowships  men,  eminent 
for  their  talents  at  other  colleges.  It  specially  became 
celebrated,  during  his  presidency,  for  the  number  of  pious 
young  men,  who  studied  there  for  the  Christian  ministry, 
and  who  are  now  some  of  the  most  popular  and  zealous 
clergymen  of  the  establishment.  Dr.  Milner  aided  the 
cause  of  learning,  in  no  slight  degree,  by  giving  a  strong 
impulse  to  the  study  of  mathematics,    and    the    various 


ISAAC  MILNER.  175 

branches  of  experimental  philosophy.  In  1791,  he  was 
raised  to  the  deanery  of  Carlisle. 

In  1798,  he  was  placed  in  the  chair  of  the  Lucasian 
professor  of  mathematics,  a  situation  worth  about  .£350  a 
year,  which  had  been  successively  filled  by  Isaac  Barrow, 
Sir  Isaac  Newton,  Whiston,  Saunderson,  Colson,  and 
Waring,  the  most  eminent  mathematicians  of  their  day. 
He  twice  served  the  office  of  vice  chancellor  of  the  univer- 
sity. As  an  author,  he  is  advantageously  known  by  the 
life  of  his  brother  Joseph  ;  by  strictures  on  some  of  the 
publications  of  Dr.  Herbert  Marsh, — a  most  masterly 
defence  of  the  Bible  Society ;  by  a  continuation  of  the 
Church  History  begun  by  his  brother;  and  by  papers  con- 
tributed to  the  Transactions  of  the  Royal  Society,  of  which 
he  was  a  fellow. 

He  died  at  the  house  of  his  friend,  Mr.  Wilberforce,  in 
London,  on  the  first  of  April,  1821,  in  the  seventieth  year 
of  his  age.  He  left  the  world  in  humble  hope  of  eternal 
life,  through  the  mediation  and  merits  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ. 

"  In  intellectual  endowment,"  says  his  biographer, 
(supposed  to  be  Mr.  Wilberforce,)  "Isaac  Milner  was 
unquestionably  one  of  the  first  men  of  his  day.  He  posses- 
sed prodigious  powers  of  understanding.  As  a  mathemati- 
cian, he  was  one  of  the  first,  if  not  the  very  first  of  his  age. 
He  had  also  a  great  partiality  for  mechanics;  and,  spend- 
ing most  of  his  leisure,  during  the  life-time  of  his  brother, 
at  Hull,  his  lodgings  there  were  a  complete  workshop, 
filled  with  all  kinds  of  carpenter's  and  turner's  tools.  There 
he  was  accustomed  daily  to  relax  his  mind  from  the  fatigues 
of  study  by  some  manual  labor  ;  and  so  much  was  he  in- 
terested in  these  pursuits,  that  his  lathe,  and  appendages 
for  turning,  were  not  only  extremely  curious,  but  very 
expensive,  having  cost  him  no  less  a  sum  than  one  hun- 
dred and  forty  guineas.     He  had  also  a  very  ingenious 


176  ISAAC  MILNEK. 

machine,  partly  of  his  own  invention,  which  formed,  and 
poUshed  at  the  same  time,  watch  wheels,  of  every  descrip- 
tion, with  the  utmost  possible  exactness." 

Humility  was  a  very  striking  feature  in  his  character. 
Never,  at  any  period  of  his  life,  was  he  ashamed  of  his 
former  lowly  station ;  and  after  he  had  become  the  head 
of  a  college,  a  dignified  member  of  the  clerical  order,  and 
had  proved  himself  one  of  the  first  scholars  in  the  country, 
whenever  he  passed  through  Leeds,  as  he  generally  did  on 
his  journeys  to  the  North,  he  never  failed  to  visit  the 
obscure  friends  of  his  boyish  days,  and  by  his  well-timed 
acts  of  generosity  towards  them,  often  did  he  "  deliver  the 
poor  and  fatherless,  and  cause  the  widow's  heart  to  sing 
for  joy."  Isaac  Milner,  the  poor  fatherless  weaver,  and 
the  very  reverend  Isaac  Milner,  president  of  Queen's 
college,  Lucasian  professor  of  mathematics,  and  dean  of 
Carlisle,  rich  in  this  world's  goods,*  as  well  as  in  literary 
fame,  never  wore  even  the  semblance  of  two  different 
men.  Through  life,  he  manifested  in  his  deportment,  the 
unaffected  simplicity  of  manners,  and  aff'ability  of  disposi- 
tion, appropriate  to  his  early  station  in  society,  but  not  less 
adorning  the  high  sphere,  in  which,  by  the  providence  of 
God,  he  afterwards  was  called  to  move. 

*  Notwithstanding  his  great  liberality,  he  accumulated  from  the 
savings  of  his  preferments  a  fortune  of  from  fifty  to  sixty  thousand 
pounds. 


WILL.IA3I  CAXTOJV. 

^'  The  ease,  which  we  now  find  in  providing  and  dis- 
persing, what  number  of  copies  of  books  we  please,  by 
means  of  the  press,"  says  Dr.  Middleton,  in  his  Free 
Inquiry,  "  makes  us  apt  to  imagine,  without  considering 
the  matter,  that  the  pubhcation  of  books  was  the  same  easy 
affair  in  all  former  times  as  in  the  present.  But  the  case 
was  quite  different.  For,  when  there  were  no  books  in 
the  world,  but  what  were  written  out  by  hand  with  great 
labor  and  expense,  the  method  of  publishing  them  was 
necessarily  very  slow,  and  the  price  very  dear  ;  so  that  the 
rich  only  and  curious  would  be  disposed  or  able  to  pur- 
chase them  ;  and  to  such  also,  it  was  often  difficult  to  pro- 
cure them,  or  to  know  even  where  they  were  to  be  bought." 

Of  the  truth  of  these  remarks  of  Dr.  Middleton,  a  great 
variety  of  facts  might  be  brought  forward  in  proof  In 
1299,  the  bishop  of  Winchester  borrowed  a  Bible  in  two 
volumes  folio,  from  a  convent  in  that  city,  giving  a  bond, 
drawn  up  in  the  most  formal  and  solemn  manner,  for  its 
due  return.  This  Bible  had  been  given  to  the  convent  by 
a  former  bishop,  and  in  consideration  of  this  gift,  and  one 
hundred  marks,  the  monks  founded  a  daily  mass  for  the 
soul  of  the  donor.  In  the  same  century,  several  Latin 
Bibles  were  given  to  the  university  of  Oxford,  on  condi- 
tion that  the  students,  who  read  them,   should  deposit  a 


178  WILLIAM  CAXTON. 

cautionary  pledge.  And  even  after  manuscripts  were 
multiplied,  by  the  invention  of  linen  paper,  it  was  enacted 
by  the  statutes  of  St.  Mary's  college,  at  Oxford,  in  1446, 
that,  ''  no  scholar  shall  occupy  a  book  in  the  library  above 
one  hour,  or  two  hours  at  most,  lest  others  should  be  hin- 
dered from  the  use  of  the  same."  Money  was  often  lent 
on  the  deposit  of  a  book ;  and  there  were  public  chests  in 
the  universities,  and  other  seminaries,  in  which  the  books 
so  deposited  were  kept.  They  were  often  particularly 
named  and  described  in  wills — generally  left  to  a  relative 
or  friend,  in  fee,  and  for  the  term  of  his  life,  and  afterwards 
to  the  library  of  some  religious  house.  "  When  a  book 
was  bought,"  observes  Mr.  Warton,  "  the  affair  was  of  so 
much  importance,  that  it  was  customary  to  assemble  persons 
of  consequence  and  character,  and  to  make  a  formal  re- 
cord that  they  were  present  on  the  occasion."  The  same 
author  adds,  "  Even  so  late  as  the  year  1471,  when  Louis 
XL  of  France  borrowed  the  works  of  the  Arabian  physi- 
cian, Rhasis,  from  the  faculty  of  medicine  at  Paris,  he  not 
only  deposited,  by  way  of  a  pledge,  a  valuable  plate,  but 
was  obliged  to  procure  a  nobleman  to  join  with  him  as 
party  in  a  deed,  by  which  he  bound  himself  to  return  it 
under  a  considerable  forfeiture."  Long  and  violent  alter- 
cations, and  even  lawsuits,  sometimes  took  place,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  disputed  property  of  a  book. 

Books  were  so  scarce  in  Spain  in  the  tenth  century, 
that  several  monasteries  had  among  them  only  one 
copy  of  the  Bible,  one  of  Jerome's  Epistles,  and  one  of 
several  other  religious  books.  There  are  some  curious 
instances  given  by  Lupus,  abbot  of  Ferrieris,  of  the 
extreme  scarcity  of  classical  manuscripts  in  the  middle  of 
the  ninth  century.  He  was  much  devoted  to  literature  ; 
and,  from  his  letters,  appears  to  have  been  indefatigable  in 
his  endeavors  to  find  out  such  manuscripts,  in  order  to 
borrow  and  copy  them.     In  a  letter  to  the  pope,  he  earn- 


WILLIAM  CAXTON.  179 

estly  requests  of  him  a  copy  of  Quinctilian,  and  of  a  treatise 
of  Cicero  ;  for,  he  adds,  though  we  have  some  fragments 
of  them,  a  complete  copy  is  not  to  be  found  in  France. 
In  two  other  of  his  letters,  he  requests  of  a  brother  abbot, 
the  loan  of  several  manuscripts,  which  he  assures  him  shall 
be  copied  and  returned  as  soon  as  possible  by  a  faithful 
messenger.  Another  time  he  sent  a  special  messenger  to 
borrow  a  manuscript,  promising  that  he  would  take  very 
great  care  of  it,  and  return  it  by  a  safe  opportunity,  and 
requesting  the  person  who  lent  it  to  him,  if  he  were  asked 
to  whom  he  had  lent  it,  to  reply,  to  some  near  relations  of 
his  own,  who  had  been  very  urgent  to  borrow  it.  Another 
manuscript,  which  he  seems  to  have  prized  much,  and  a 
loan  of  which  had  been  so  frequently  requested,  that  he 
thought  of  banishing  it  somewhere,  that  it  might  not  be 
destroyed  or  lost,  he  tells  a  friend  he  may  perhaps  lend 
him  when  he  comes  to  see  him,  but  that  he  will  not  trust 
it  to  the  messenger  who  had  been  sent  for  it,  though  a 
monk,  and  trust-worthy,  because  he  was  travelling  on  foot. 
Respecting  the  price  of  manuscript  books,  we  are  not  in 
the  possession  of  many  facts.  Plato  paid  a  hundred  minae, 
equal  to  .£375,  for  three  small  treatises  by  Philolaus,  the 
Pythagorean.  After  the  death  of  Speusippus,  Plato's  dis- 
ciple, his  books,  few  in  number,  were  purchased  by  Aris- 
totle, for  about  ^675.  It  is  said  that  St.  Jerome  nearly 
ruined  himself  by  the  purchase  of  religious  works  alone. 
Persons  of  moderate  fortune  could  not  afford  the  means 
of  procuring  them,  nor  the  rich  even  without  the  sacri- 
fice of  some  luxuries.  The  mere  money,  which  was 
paid  for  them  in  the  dark  ages,  whenever  a  person  distin- 
guished himself  for  his  love  of  literature,  was  seldom  the 
sole  or  the  principal  expense.  It  was  often  necessary  to 
send  to  a  great  distance,  and  to  spend  much  time  in  find- 
ing out  where  they  were.  In  the  ninth  century,  an  Eng- 
lish bishop  was  obliged  to  make  five  journeys  to  Rome, 


180  WILLIAM  CAXTON. 

principally  in  order  to  purchase  books ;  for  one  of  his 
books  thus  procured,  Alfred  gave  him  an  estate  of  eight 
hides  of  land,  or  as  much  land  as  eight  ploughs  could  till. 
About  the  period  of  the  invention  of  cotton  paper,  1 174, 
the  homilies  of  St.  Bede,  and  St.  Augustine's  Psalter,  were 
bought  by  a  prior  in  Winchester,  from  the  monks  of  Dor- 
chester, in  Oxfordshire,  for  twelve  measures  of  barley,  and 
a  pall,  richly  embroidered  in  silver.  Stow  informs  us  that 
in  1274,  a  Bible,  in  nine  volumes,  fairly  written,  with  a 
gloss  or  comment,  sold  for  fifty  marks,  or  <£33  6s.  8d. 
About  this  time,  the  price  of  wheat  averaged  35.  4d.  a 
quarter;  a  laborer's  wages  were  l^d.  a  day;  a  harvest 
man's,  2d.  In  a  blank  page  of  Comestor's  Scholastic 
History,  deposited  in  the  British  museum,  it  is  stated  that 
this  manuscript  was  taken  from  the  king  of  France,  at  the 
battle  of  Poictiers.  It  was  afterwards  purchased  by  the 
earl  of  Salisbury  for  a  hundred  marks,  or  £66  135.  M.  It 
was  directed,  by  the  last  will  of  his  countess,  to  be  sold 
for  forty  livres.  At  this  time  the  king's  surgeon's  pay  was 
^5  135.  4d.  per  annum,  and  one  shilling  a  day  besides. 
Master  carpenters  had  four  pence  a  day  ;  their  servants 
two  pence.  At  the  beginning  of  the  fourteenth  century, 
some  books  were  bequeathed  to  Merton  college,  Oxford, 
of  which  the  following  are  the  names  and  valuation.  A 
Scholastic  History,  twenty  shillings ;  a  Concordance,  ten 
shillings  ;  the  four  greater  prophets,  with  glosses,  five  shil- 
lings ;  a  Psalter,  with  glosses,  ten  shillings  ;  St.  Austin  on 
Genesis,  ten  shillings.  About  the  year  1400,  a  copy  of 
the  Roman  de  la  Ron  was  sold  before  the  palace  gate,  at 
Paris,  for  ^33  6s.  6d.  The  countess  of  Anjou  paid,  for  a 
copy  of  the  homilies  of  Bishop  Haiman,  two  hundred 
sheep,  five  quarters  of  wheat,  five  quarters  of  barley,  and 
five  quarters  of  millet.  On  the  conquest  of  Paris,  in  1425, 
the  duke  of  Bedford  sent  the  royal  library  to  England.  It 
consisted  of  only  eight  hundred   and  fifty-three  volumes, 


WILLIAM  CAXTON.  IQX 

but  it  was  valued  at  more  than  two  thousand,  two  hundred 
pounds  sterhng.  Further  facts,  of  a  similar  character,  will 
be  found  in  the  life  of  the  individual,  to  which  we  now 
proceed. 

William  Caxton  was  born  in  the  Weald  of  Kent, 
England,  about  the  year  1413.  At  this  period,  learning 
of  all  kinds  was  in  a  much  more  depressed  state  in  Eng- 
land, than  in  most  of  the  continental  countries,  in  con- 
sequence principally  of  the  civil  war  in  which  the  nation 
was  embroiled,  the  habits  of  restlessness  thus  produced, 
and  the  constant  pre-occupation  of  the  time  and  thoughts 
of  men  in  promoting  the  cause  they  espoused,  and  in  pro- 
tecting their  lives  and  property.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, the  most  plain  and  common  education  was  often 
neglected.  Caxton's  parents,  however,  performed  their 
duty  to  him.  "  I  am  bounden,"  says  he,  ''to  pray  for  my 
father  and  mother,  that,  in  my  youth,  sent  me  to  school, 
by  which,  by  the  sufferance  of  God,  I  get  my  living,  I  hope 
truly."  When  he  was  about  fifteen  or  sixteen,  he  was  put 
apprentice  to  William  Large,  a  mercer  of  London,  and 
afterwards  mayor.  The  name  mercer,  was  given  at  this 
time,  to  general  merchants,  trading  in  all  kinds  of  goods. 
After  he  had  served  his  apprenticeship,  Caxton  took  up 
his  freedom  in  the  mercer's  company,  and  became  a  citizen 
of  London.  Some  subsequent  years  he  spent  in  travelling 
in  various  countries  on  the  continent  of  Europe.  In  1464, 
he  was  appointed  ambassador  to  the  court  of  the  duke  of 
Burgundy.  During  his  residence  in  the  Low  Countries, 
he  acquired  or  perfected  his  knowledge  of  the  French 
language,  gained  some  knowledge  of  Flemish  or  Dutch, 
imbibed  a  taste  for  literature  and  romance,  and,  at 
great  expense,  made  himself  master  of  the  art  of  printing. 
About  1472,  Caxton  returned  to  England,  and  introduced, 
in  all  probability,  the  art  of  printing  into  that  country. 
The  common  opinion  is,  that  the  *  Game  of  Chess'  was  the 
16 


182  WILLIAM  CAXTON. 

first  book  printed  by  Caxton,  though  Mr.  Dibdin  thinks 
that  the  '  Romance  of  Jason'  was  printed  before  it.  Cax- 
ton was  most  indefatigable  in  cultivating  his  art.  Besides 
the  labor  necessarily  attached  to  his  press,  he  translated 
not  fewer  than  five  thousand  closely  printed  folio  pages, 
though  well  stricken  in  years.  The  productions  of  his 
press  amount  to  sixty-four.  In  1480,  he  published  his 
Chronicle,  and  his  Description  of  Britain,  which  is  usually 
subjoined  to  it.  These  were  very  popular,  having  been 
reprinted  four  times  in  this  century,  and  seven  times  in  the 
sixteenth  century. 

*'  After  divers  works,"  says  he,  "  made,  translated,  and 
achieved,  having  no  work  in  hand,  I,  sitting  in  my  study, 
where  as  lay  many  divers  pamphlets  and  books,  it  hap- 
pened that  to  my  hand  came  a  little  book,  in  French,  which 
late  was  translated  out  of  Latin,  by  some  noble  clerk  of 
France,  which  book  is  named  '  Eneid,'  as  made  in  Latin 
by  that  noble  person  and  great  clerk,  Virgil,  which  book  I 
saw  over  and  read  therein.  (He  then  describes  the  con- 
tents.) In  which  book  I  had  great  pleasure,  by  cause  of 
the  fair  and  honest  terms  and  words,  in  French,  which  I 
never  saw  tofore  like,  ne  none  so  pleasant,  ne  so  well 
ordered  ;  which  book  as  me  seemed  should  be  much  requi- 
site to  noble  men  to  see,  as  well  for  the  eloquence  as  histo- 
ries ;  and  when  I  had  advised  me  in  this  said  book,  I 
deliberated,  and  concluded  to  translate  it  into  English,  and 
forthwith  took  a  pen  and  ink,  and  wrote  a  leaf  or  twain, 
which  I  oversaw  again,  to  correct  it ;  and  when  I  saw 
the  fair  and  strange  terms  therein,  I  doubted  that  it  should 
not  please  some  gentlemen,  which  late  blamed  me,  saying, 
that  in  my  former  translations,  I  had  over  curious  terms, 
which,  could  not  be  understood  of  common  people ;  and 
desired  me  to  use  old  and  homely  terms  in  my  translations ; 
and  fain  would  I  satisfy  every  man,  and  so  to  do,  took  an 
old  book,    and  read  therein ;  and  certainly  the    English 


WILLIAM  CAXTON.  ]g3 

was  so  rude  and  broad,  that  I  could  not  well  understand 
it;  and  also,  my  Lord  Abbot,  of  Westminster,  did  do  show 
to  me  late  certain  evidences,  written  in  old  English,  for  to 
reduce  it  into  our  English  now  used ;  and  certainly  it  was 
written  in  such  wise,  that  was  more  like  to  Dutch  than  to 
English.  I  could  not  reduce,  nor  bring  it  to  be  under- 
standen.  Certainly  the  language  now  used  varieth  far 
from  that  which  was  used  and  spoken  when  I  was  born  ; 
for  we.  Englishmen,  been  born  under  the  domination  of 
the  moon,  which  is  never  at  rest,  but  ever  wavering.  The 
most  quantity  of  the  people  understand  not  Latin,  nor 
French,  in  this  realm  of  England." 

Caxton  seems  to  have  been  much  puzzled  and  perplexed 
about  the  language  he  should  use  in  his  translations  ;  for, 
while  some  advised  him  to  use  old  and  homely  terms, 
others,  "  honest  and  great  clerks,"  he  adds,  "have  been  with 
me,  and  desired  me  to  write  the  most  curious  terms  that  1 
could  find — and  thus  betwixt  plain,  rude,  and  curious,  I 
stand  abashed." 

Among  the  books  which  Caxton  published,  were  two 
editions  of  Chaucer's  Tales.  He  seems  to  have  had  a 
veneration  for  the  memory  of  this  poet,  and  to  have  formed, 
with  sound  judgment  and  good  taste,  a  most  correct  and 
precise  estimate  of  the  peculiar  merits  of  his  poetry.  As  a 
proof  of  the  former  we  may  mention,  that  Caxton,  at  his 
own  expense,  procured  a  long  epitaph  to  be  written  in 
honor  of  Chaucer,  which  was  hung  on  a  pillar  near  the 
poet's  grave,  in  Westminster  Abbey.  The  following 
remarks  of  Caxton  show  that  he  was  able  thoroughly  to 
relish  the  merits  and  beauties  of  Chaucer's  poetry. 

"  We  ought  to  give  a  singular  laud  unto  that  noble  and 
great  philosopher,  Geoffrey  Chaucer,  the  which,  for  his  or- 
nate writings  in  our  tongue,  may  well  have  the  name  of  a  lau- 
reate poet.  For,  tofore  that  he  embellished  and  ornated  and 
made  fair  our  English,  in  this  realm  was  had  rude  speech 


184  WILLIAM  CAXTON. 

and  incongruous,  as  yet  appeareth  by  old  books,  which,  at 
this  day,  ought  not  to  have  place,  ne  be  compared  among 
unto  his  beauteous  volumes  and  ornate  writings,  of  whom 
he  made  many  books  and  treatises  of  many  a  noble  history, 
as  well  in  metre  as  in  rhyme  and  prose ;  and  then  so 
craftily  made,  that  he  comprehended  his  matters  in  short, 
quid',  and  high  sentences,  eschciving  perplexity  ;  casting 
away  the  chaff  of  superjluity ,  and  shoiuing  the  picked  grain 
of  sentence,  uttered  hy  crafty  and  sugared  eloquence.  In 
all  his  works  he  excelleth,  in  mine  opinion,  all  other  wri- 
ters in  our  English,  for  he  writeth  no  void  words,  but  all 
his  matter  is  full  of  high  and  quick  sentence,  to  whom 
ought  to  be  given  laud  and  praise  for  his  noble  making 
and  writing." 

Caxton  died  in  1490-1,  was  buried  in  St.  Margaret's, 
and  left  some  books  to  that  church.  "  His  character,"  says 
his  biographer,  "  may  be  collected  from  the  account  we 
have  given  of  his  labors.  He  was  possessed  of  good  sense 
and  sound  judgment ;  steady,  persevering,  active,  zealous, 
and  liberal  in  his  services  for  that  important  art  which  he 
introduced  into  England ;  laboring  not  only  as  printer,  but 
as  translator  and  editor." 


RICHARD  BAXTER. 

Richard  Baxter  was  born  on  the  12th  of  November, 
1615,  at  Rowton,  in  Shropshire,  England.  Here  he  spent, 
with  his  grandfather,  the  first  ten  years  of  his  life.  His 
father  was  a  freeholder,  and  possessed  of  a  moderate  estate  ; 
but  having  been  addicted  to  gaming  in  his  youth,  his 
property  became  so  deeply  involved,  that  much  care  and 
frugality  were  required  to  disencumber  it  at  a  future  period 
of  his  life.  He  became  a  pious  man  about  the  time  of 
the  birth  of  Richard.  To  him  the  lad  was  indebted  for 
his  first  religious  instructions.  There  must  have  been 
in  Richard,  when  a  child,  some  striking  indications  of 
religious  feeling,  for  his  father  remarked  to  Dr.  Bates, 
that  he  would  even  then  reprove  the  improper  conduct  of 
other  children,  to  the  astonishment  of  those  who  heard 
him.  Baxter's  early  impressions  and  convictions,  though 
often  like  the  morning  cloud  and  early  dew,  were  never 
entirely  dissipated,  but  at  last  fully  established  themselves 
in  a  permanent  influence  on  his  character.  His  early 
education  was  very  imperfectly  conducted.  From  six  to 
ten  years  of  age,  he  was  under  the  four  successive  curates 
of  the  parish,  two  of  whom  never  preached,  and  the  two, 
who  had  the  most  learning  of  the  four,  drank  themselves 
to  beggary,  and  then  left  the  place.  At  the  age  of  ten, 
he  was  removed  to  his  father's  house,  where  Sir  William 
16* 


Ig5  RICHARD  BAXTER. 

Rogers,  a  blind  old  man,  was  parson.  One  of  his  curates, 
who  had  succeeded  a  person  who  was  driven  away  on 
being  discovered  to  have  officiated  under  forged  orders, 
was  Baxter's  principal  schoolmaster.  This  man  had  been 
a  lawyer's  clerk,  but  hard  drinking  drove  him  from  that 
profession,  and  he  turned  curate  for  a  piece  of  bread.  He 
preached  only  once  in  Baxter's  time,  and  then  was  drunk  1 
From  such  men  what  instruction  could  be  expected ! 
How  wretched  must  the  state  of  the  country  have  been, 
when  they  could  be  tolerated  either  as  teachers  or  min- 
isters !  His  next  instructer,  who  loved  him  much,  he  tells 
us  was  a  grave  and  eminent  man,  and  expected  to  be 
made  a  bishop.  He  also,  however,  disappointed  him  ; 
for  during  no  less  than  two  years,  he  never  instructed  him 
one  hour ;  but  spent  his  time,  for  the  most  part,  in  talking 
against  the  Puritans.  In  his  study,  he  remembered  to 
have  seen  no  Greek  book  but  the  New  Testament ;  the 
only  father  was  Augustine  de  Civitate  Dei  ;  there  were  a 
few  common  modern  English  works,  and  for  the  most  of 
the  year,  the  priest  studied  Bishop  Andrews'  Sermons. 
Of  Mr.  John  Owen,  master  of  the  free  school  at  Wroxeter, 
he  speaks  more  respectfully.  To  him  he  was  chiefly  in- 
debted for  his  classical  instruction.  He  seems  to  have 
been  a  respectable  man,  and  under  him,  Baxter  had  for 
his  schoolfellows  the  two  sons  of  Sir  Richard  Newport, 
(one  of  whom  became  Lord  Newport,)  and  Dr.  Richard 
Allestree,  who  afterward  was  Regius  professor  of  divinity 
at  Oxford,  and  provost  of  Eton  college.  When  fitted  for 
the  university,  his  master  recommended  that,  instead  of 
being  sent  to  it,  he  should  be  put  under  the  tuition  of  Mr. 
Richard  Wickstead,  chaplain  to  the  council  at  Ludlow, 
who  was  allowed  by  the  king  to  have  a  single  pupil.  But 
he  also  neglected  his  trust.  The  only  advantage  young 
Baxter  had  with  him,  was  the  enjoyment  of  time  and  books. 
"  Considering  the   great  neglect,"  says    Mr.    Orme,    his 


RICHARD  BAXTER.  187 

biographer,  "^  of  suitable  and  regular  instruction,  which 
Baxter  experienced  in  his  youth,  it  is  wonderful  that  he 
ever  rose  to  eminence.  Such  disadvantages  are  very 
rarely  altogether  conquered.  But  the  strength  of  his 
genius,  the  ardor  of  his  mind,  and  the  power  of  his  reli- 
gious principles,  compensated  for  minor  defects,  subdued 
every  difficulty,  and  bore  down,  with  irresistible  energy, 
every  obstacle  that  had  been  placed  in  his  way." 

During  his  short  residence  at  Ludlow  castle,  Baxter 
made  a  narrow  escape  from  acquiring  a  taste  for  gaming, 
of  which  he  gives  a  curious  account.  The  best  gamester 
in  the  house  undertook  to  teach  him  to  play.  The  first  or 
second  game  was  so  nearly  lost  by  Baxter,  that  his  oppo- 
nent betted  a  hundred  to  one  against  him,  laying  down 
ten  shillings  to  his  sixpence.  lie  told  him  there  was  no 
possibility  of  his  winning,  but  by  getting  one  cast  of  the 
dice  very  often.  No  sooner  was  the  money  down,  than 
Baxter  had  every  cast  which  he  wished  ;  so  that  before  a 
person  could  go  three  or  four  times  round  the  room,  the 
game  was  won.  This  so  astonished  him  that  he  believed 
the  devil  had  the  command  of  the  dice,  and  did  it  to  entice 
him  to  play  ;  in  consequence  of  which  he  returned  the 
ten  shillings,  and  resolved  never  to  play  more.  Whatever 
may  be  thought  of  the  fact,  or  of  Baxter's  reasoning  on  it, 
the  result  to  him  was  important  and  beneficial. 

On  returning  from  Ludlow  castle  to  his  father's  house, 
he  found  his  old  schoolmaster,  Owen,  dying  of  a  consump- 
tion. At  the  request  of  Lord  Newport,  he  took  charge  of 
the  school  till  it  should  appear  whether  the  master  would 
die  or  recover.  Li  about  a  quarter  of  a  year,  his  death 
relieved  Baxter  from  this  office,  and  as  he  had  determined 
to  enter  the  ministry,  he  placed  himself  under  Mr.  Francis 
Garbet,  then  minister  of  Wroxeter,  for  further  instruction 
in  theology.  With  him  he  read  logic  about  a  month,  but 
was  seriously  and  long  interrupted,   by  symptoms  of  that 


188  RICHARD  BAXTER. 

complaint  which  attended  him  to  his  grave.  He  was  at- 
tacked by  a  violent  cough,  with  spitting  of  blood,  and 
other  indications  of  consumption.  The  broken  state  of 
his  health,  the  irregularity  of  his  teacher,  and  his  want  of 
an  university  education,  materially  injured  his  learning 
and  occasioned  lasting  regrets.  He  never  acquired  any 
great  knowledge  of  the  learned  languages.  Of  Hebrew 
he  scarcely  knew  anything  ;  his  acquaintance  with  Greek 
was  not  profound  ;  and  even  in  Latin,  as  his  works  show, 
he  must  be  regarded  by  a  scholar  as  little  better  than  a 
barbarian.  Of  mathematics  he  knew  nothing  and  never 
had  a  taste  for  them.  Of  logic  and  metaphysics  he  was 
a  devoted  admirer,  and  to  them  he  dedicated  his  labor 
and  delight.  Definitions  and  distinctions  were  in  a  man- 
ner his  occupation  ;  the  quod  sit,  the  quid  sit,  and  quofu- 
plex — modes,  consequences,  and  adjuncts,  were  his  vocab- 
ulary. He  never  thought  he  understood  anything  till  he 
could  anatomize  it,  and  see  the  parts  distinctly  ;  and  cer- 
tainly, very  few  have  handled  the  knife  more  dexterously, 
or  to  so  great  an  extent.  His  love  of  the  niceties  of  meta- 
physical disquisition  plunged  him  very  early  into  the  study 
of  controversial  divinity.  The  schoolmen  were  the  objects 
of  his  admiration.  Aquinas,  Scotus,  Durandus,  Ockham, 
and  their  disciples,  were  the  teachers  from  whom  he  ac- 
quired no  small  portion  of  that  acuteness  for  which  he 
became  so  distinguished  as  a  disputer,  and  of  that  logo- 
machy by  which  most  of  his  writings  are  deformed. 

"  Early  education,"  says  Mr.  Orme,  "exerts  a  prodigious 
power  over  the  future  pursuits  and  habits  of  the  individual. 
Its  imperfections  or  peculiarities  will  generally  appear,  if 
he  attempt  to  make  any  figure  in  the  literary  or  scientific 
world.  The  advantages  of  a  university  or  academical 
education  will  never  be  despised,  except  by  him  who 
never  enjoyed  them,  or  who  affects  to  be  superior  to 
their  necessity.     It  cannot  be  denied,  however,  that  some 


RICHARD  BAXTER.  Jgg 

of  our  eminent  men,  in  all  departments  and  professions, 
never  enjoyed  these  early  advantages." 

Among  these  was  Richard  Baxter.  In  answer  to  a 
letter  of  Anthony  Wood,  inquiring  whether  he  was  an 
Oxonian,  he  replied  with  dignified  simplicity,  "  As  to  my- 
self, my  faults  are  no  disgrace  to  any  university,  for  I  was 
of  none ;  I  have  little  but  what  I  had  out  of  books,  and 
inconsiderable  helps  of  country  tutors.  Weakness  and 
pain  helped  me  to  study  how  to  die  ;  that  set  me  on  study- 
ing how  to  live  ;  and  that  on  studying  the  doctrine  from 
which  I  must  fetch  my  motives  and  comforts.  Beginning 
with  -necessities,  I  proceeded  by  degrees,  and  now  am 
going  to  see  that  for  which  I  have  lived  and  studied." 

The  defects  of  early  education  Baxter  made  up  by 
greater  ardor  of  application  and  energy  of  purpose.  He 
never  attained  the  elegant  refinements  of  classical  litera- 
ture, but  in  all  the  substantial  attainments  of  sound  learn- 
ing he  excelled  most  of  his  contemporaries.  The  regrets 
which  he  felt,  at  an  early  period,  that  his  scholarship  was 
not  more  eminent,  he  thus  expresses  ; 

"  Thy  methods  cross  my  ways  ;  my  young  desire 
To  academic  glory  did  aspire. 
Fain  I'd  have  sat  in  such  a  nurse's  lap, 
Where  I  might  long  have  had  a  sluggard's  nap  ; 
Or  have  been  dandled  on  her  reverend  knees. 
And  known  by  honored  titles  and  degrees ; 
And  there  have  spent  the  flower  of  my  days 
In  soaring  in  the  air  of  human  praise. 
Yea,  and  I  thought  it  needful  to  thy  ends. 
To  make  the  prejudiced  world  my  friends ; 
That  so  my  praise  might  go  before  thy  grace. 
Preparing  men  thy  messages  to  embrace  ; 
Also  my  work  and  office  to  adorn. 
And  to  avoid  profane  contempt  and  scorn. 
But  these  were  not  thy  thoughts  ;  thou  didst  foresee 
That  such  a  course  would  not  be  best  for  me. 
Thou  mad'st  me  know  that  man's  contempt  and  scorn, 
Is  such  a  cross  as  must  be  daily  borne." 


190  RICHARD  BAXTER. 

The  principal  scene  of  Baxter's  pastoral  labors  was 
Kidderminster.  Here  he  resided  about  fourteen  years, 
and  his  labors  were  attended  with  remarkable  success. 
"  It  was  a  great  advantage  to  me,"  says  Baxter,  "  that 
my  neighbors  were  of  such  a  trade,  as  allowed  them  time 
to  read  or  talk  of  holy  things.  For  the  town  liveth  upon 
the  weaving  of  Kidderminster  stuffs ;  and  as  they  stand 
in  their  looms,  the  men  can  set  a  book  before  them,  or 
edify  one  another  ;  whereas  ploughmen,  and  many  others, 
are  so  wearied,  or  continually  employed,  either  in  the 
labors  or  the  cares  of  their  callings,  that  it  is  a  great  im- 
pediment to  their  salvation.  Freeholders  and  tradesmen 
are  the  strength  of  religion  and  civility  in  the  land ;  and 
gentlemen  and  beggars,  and  servile  tenants,  are  the 
strength  of  iniquity.  Though  among  these  sorts,  there 
are  some  also  that  are  good  and  just,  as  among  the  other 
there  are  many  bad.  And  their  constant  converse  and 
traffic  with  London,  doth  much  promote  civility  and  piety 
among  tradesmen. 

"  Another  furtherance  of  my  work,  was  the  books 
which  I  wrote  and  gave  away  among  them.  Of  some 
small  books  I  gave  each  family  one,  which  came  to  about 
eight  hundred  ;  and  of  the  larger,  I  gave  fewer  ;  and  every 
family  that  was  poor,  and  had  not  a  Bible,  I  gave  a  Bible 
to.  I  had  found  myself  the  benefit  of  reading  to  be  so 
great,  that  I  could  not  but  think  it  would  be  profitable  to 
others. 

"  God  made  use  of  my  practice  of  physic  among  them 
also  as  a  very  great  advantage  to  my  ministry  ;  for  they 
that  cared  not  for  their  souls,  did  love  their  lives,  and  care 
for  their  bodies  ;  and  by  this,  they  were  made  almost  as 
obversant,  as  a  tenant  is  of  his  landlord.  Sometimes  I 
could  see  before  me  in  the  church,  a  very  considerable 
part  of  the  congregation,  whose  lives  God  had  made  me  a 
means  to  save,  or  to  recover  their  health  :  and  doing  it 


RICHARD  BAXTER.  igj 

for  nothing,  so  obliged  them  that  they  would  readily  hear 
me.  Another  help  to  my  success,  was  the  small  relief 
which  my  low  estate  enabled  me  to  afford  the  poor  ;  though 
the  place  was  reckoned  at  near  two  hundred  pounds  per 
annum,  there  came  but  ninety  pounds,  and  sometimes 
but  eighty  pounds  to  me.  Beside  which,  some  years  I 
had  sixty,  or  eighty  pounds  a  year  of  the  booksellers 
for  my  books  ;  which  little  dispersed  among  them,  much 
reconciled  them  to  the  doctrine  that  I  taught.  I  took 
the  aptest  of  their  children  from  the  school,  and  sent 
divers  of  them  to  the  universities  ;  where  for  eight  pounds 
a  year,  or  ten,  at  most,  by  the  help  of  my  friends,  I  main- 
tained them.  Some  of  them  are  honest,  able  ministers, 
now  cast  out  with  their  brethren  ;  but,  two  or  three  having 
no  other  way  to  live,  turned  great  conformists,  and  are 
preachers  now.  In  giving  the  little  I  had,  I  did  not 
inquire  whether  they  were  good  or  bad,  if  they  asked 
relief;  for  the  bad  had  souls  and  bodies  that  needed  charity 
most.  And  this  truth  I  will  speak  to  the  encouragement 
of  the  charitable,  that  what  little  money  I  have  now  by 
me,  I  got  it  almost  all,  I  scarce  know  how,  at  that  time 
when  I  gave  most,  and  since  I  have  had  less  opportunity 
of  giving,  I  have  had  less  increase. 

"  My  public  preaching  met  with  an  attentive,  diligent 
auditory.  Having  broke  over  the  brunt  of  the  opposition 
of  the  rabble  before  the  wars,  I  found  them  afterwards 
tractable  and  unprejudiced.  Before  I  entered  into  the 
ministry,  God  blessed  my  private  conference  to  the  con- 
version of  some,  who  remain  firm  and  eminent  in  holi- 
ness to  this  day  ;  but  then,  and  in  the  beginning  of  my 
ministry,  I  was  wont  to  number  them  as  jewels ;  but  since 
then  I  could  not  keep  any  number  of  them.  The  congre- 
gation was  usually  full,  so  that  we  were  fain  to  build  five 
galleries  after  my  coming  thither  ;  the  church  itself  being 
very  capacious,  and  the  most  commodious  and  convenient 


192  RICHARD  BAXTER. 

that  ever  I  was  in.  Our  private  meetings,  also,  were 
full.  On  the  Lord's  days  there  was  no  disorder  to 
be  seen  in  the  streets :  but  you  might  hear  a  hundred 
families  singing  psalms  and  repeating  sermons  as  you 
passed  through  them.  In  a  word,  when  I  came  thither 
first,  there  was  about  one  family  in  a  street  that  wor- 
shipped God  and  called  on  his  name,  and  when  I  came 
away,  there  were  some  streets  where  there  was  not  one 
poor  family  in  the  side  that  did  not  so  ;  and  that  did  not 
by  professing  serious  godliness,  give  us  hopes  of  their  sin- 
cerity. And  in  those  families  which  were  the  worst,  being 
inns  and  alehouses,  usually  some  persons  in  each  house 
did  seem  to  be  religious.  Though  our  administration  of 
the  Lord's  supper  was  so  ordered  as  displeased  many,  and 
the  far  greater  part  kept  away,  we  had  six  hundred  that 
were  communicants  ;  of  whom  there  were  not  twelve  that 
I  had  not  good  hopes  of  as  to  their  sincerity." 

In  accounting  for  these  signal  and  blessed  effects  of  his 
ministry,  his  biographer  remarks  with  great  justice,  that 
'*  Baxter  never  spoke  like  a  man  who  was  indifferent 
whether  his  audience  felt  what  he  said,  or  considered  him 
in  earnest  on  the  subject.  His  eye,  his  action,  his  every 
word,  were  expressive  of  deep  and  impassioned  earnest- 
ness, that  his  hearers  might  be  saved.  His  was  eloquence 
of  the  highest  order ;  not  the  eloquence  of  nicely  selected 
words, — or  the  felicitous  combination  of  terms  and  phrases, 
— or  the  music  of  exquisitely  balanced  periods,  (though 
these  properties  are  frequently  to  be  found  in  Baxter's  dis- 
courses ;)  but  the  eloquence  of  the  most  important  truths, 
vividly  apprehended,  and  energetically  delivered.  It  was 
the  eloquence  of  a  soul  burning  with  ardent  devotion  to 
God,  and  inspired  with  the  deepest  compassion  for  men ; 
on  whom  the  powers  of  the  worlds  of  darkness  and  light, 
exercised  their  mighty  influence  ;  and  spoke  through  his 
utterances,  all  that  was   tremendous  in  warning,  and  all 


RICHARD  BAXTER.  193 

that  was  delightful  in  invitation  and  love.  The  gaining 
of  souls  to  Christ  was  the  only  object  for  which  he  lived. 
Hence,  amidst  the  seeming  variety  of  his  pursuits  and  en- 
gagements, there  was  a  perfect  harmony  of  design.  His 
ruling  and  controlling  principle  was  the  love  of  his  Master, 
producing  the  desire  of  a  full  and  faithful  discharge  of  his 
duty,  as  his  approved  minister.  This  was  the  centre 
around  which  every  thing  moved,  and  by  which  every 
thing  in  his  circumstances  and  character  was  attracted  or 
repelled.  This  gave  unity  to  all  his  plans,  and  constituted 
the  moral  force  of  all  his  actions. 

Baxter  died  December  8,  1691.  He  left  the  world  in 
joyful  assurance  of  entering  into  the  Saints'  Everlasting 
Rest.  During  his  sickness,  when  the  question  was  asked, 
How  he  did  ?  his  reply  was,  Almost  well. 

In  reviewing  the  life  of  this  extraordinary  man,  we  see 
what  powerful  and  numerous  difficulties  a  resolute  mind 
can  overcome.  Baxter,  during  his  whole  life,  might  be 
almost  said  to  die  daily.  Hardly  ever  was  such  a  mind 
connected  with  so  frail  an  earthly  lodging  place.  He 
was  the  sport  of  medical  treatment  and  experiment.  At 
about  fourteen  years  of  age  he  was  seized  with  the  small 
pox,  and  soon  after,  by  improper  exposure  to  the  cold,  he 
was  affected  by  violent  catarrh  and  cough.  This  was 
continued  for  about  two  years,  and  was  followed  by  spit- 
ting of  blood  and  other  phthisical  symptoms.  One  physi- 
cian prescribed  one  mode  of  cure,  and  another  a  different 
one  ;  till,  from  first  to  last,  he  had  the  advice  of  no  less 
than  thirty-six  professors  of  the  healing  art.  He  was  dis- 
eased literally  from  head  to  foot ;  his  stomach  acidulous ; 
violent  rheumatic  headaches ;  prodigious  bleedings  at  the 
nose ;  his  blood  so  thin  and  acrid  that  it  oozed  out  from 
the  points  of  his  fingers,  and  often  kept  them  raw  and 
bloody.  His  physicians  called  it  hypochondria.  He  hira- 
17 


194  RICHARD  BAXTER. 

self  considered  it  to  be  premature  old  age,  so  that  at  twenty 
he  had  the  symptoms,  in  addition  of  disease,  of  fourscore. 
He  was  certainly  one  of  the  most  diseased  and  afflicted 
men  that  ever  reached  the  ordinary  limits  of  human  life. 
How,  in  such  circumstances,  he  was  capable  of  making 
the  exertions  which  he  almost  incessantly  made,  appears 
not  a  little  mysterious. 

Baxter  lived  also  in  one  of  the  most  stormy  periods  of 
English  history.  Men  were  bound,  and  in  *'  deaths  oft,"  for 
conscience'  sake.  For  preaching  the  truth,  as  they  honestly 
believed  it  to  be,  no  less  than  two  thousand  ministers  were 
on  one  occasion  ejected  from  their  pulpits.  Civil  wars 
raged  with  fearful  violence,  and  many  were  the  men  whose 
hands  were  imbrued  in  fraternal  blood.  Baxter  was  in  all 
these  tumultuous  scenes  ;  now  in  the  army  of  the  Protec- 
tor :  now  showing  his  dexterity  in  logical  warfare  before 
councils  and  synods  ;  now  in  prison,  and  now  in  his  pulpit 
at  Kidderminster.  In  short  he  lived  at  the  time  of  Selden, 
and  Milton,  and  Hampden,  and  Pym, — at  the  time  of  the 
breaking  up  of  the  dark  ages,  after  old  systems  were  over- 
thrown, and  when  all  was  in  confusion  and  uncertainty. 

Notwithstanding  all  this,  his  labors  were  prodigious. 
The  works  of  Bishop  Hall  amount  to  ten  volumes  octavo  ; 
Lightfoot's  extend  to  thirteen  ;  Jeremy  Taylor's  to  fifteen  ; 
Dr.  Goodwin's  to  twenty  ;  Dr.  Owen's  to  twenty-eight ; 
while  Richard  Baxter's  works,  if  printed  in  a  uniform 
edition,  could  not  be  comprised  in  less.'ithan  sixty  volumes, 
making  at  least  thirty-five  thousand  closely  printed  octavo 
pages.  At  the  same  time,  his  labors  as  a  minister,  and 
his  engagements  in  the  public  business  of  his  times, 
formed  his  chief  employment  for  many  years,  so  that  he 
speaks  of  writing  but  as  a  kind  of  recreation  from  more 
severe  duties.  The  subjects  on  which  he  wrote  embrace 
the  whole  range  of  theology,  in  all  the  parts  of  which   he 


RICHARD  BAXTER.  195 

seems  to  have  been  nearly  equally  at  home.  Doctrinal, 
practical,  casuistical,  and  polemical,  all  occupied  his 
thoughts,  and  engaged  his  pen. 

''  His  inquiries  ranged,  and  his  writings  extended  from 
the  profoundest  and  most  abstruse  speculations  on  the 
divine  decrees,  the  constitution  of  man,  and  the  origin  of 
evil,  to  the  simplest  truths  adapted  to  the  infant  mind. 
Baxter  appears  to  have  read  every  thing  relating  to  his 
own  profession,  and  to  have  remembered  all  which  he 
read.  The  fathers  and  schoolmen,  the  doctors  and  re- 
formers of  all  ages  and  countries,  seem  to  have  been  as 
familiar  to  him  as  his  native  tongue.  He  rarely  makes  a 
parade  of  his  knowledge,  but  he  never  fails  to  convince 
you  that  he  was  well  acquainted  with  most  which  had  been 
written  on  the  subjects  which  he  discusses." 


ARTHUR  YOUNG. 

This  celebrated  agriculturist  was  a  younger  son  of  the 
Rev.  Arthur  Young,  D.  D.,  prebendary  of  Canterbury,  and 
was  born  on  the  17th  of  March,  1741,  at  Bradfield  Hall, 
Suffolk,  England.  Dr.  Young,  not  being  able  to  provide 
very  liberally  for  his  younger  children,  designed  Arthur 
for  trade,  and  accordingly  apprenticed  him  to  a  wine  mer- 
chant, at  Lynn,  in  Norfolk  ;  but  the  lad  having  evinced 
an  early  attachment  to  agricultural  pursuits,  on  his  father's 
death,  in  1761,  returned  home,  and  managed  the  farm  at 
Bradfield,  for  the  benefit  of  his  widowed  mother  and  her 
family.  He  left  his  maternal  roof  in  1767,  having  during 
his  five  years'  farming  kept  a  register  of  his  experiments, 
which  formed  the  basis  of  his  '  Course  of  Experimental 
Agriculture,'  published  anonymously  in  1770,  and  which 
was  well  received  by  practical  farmers,  though  it  w^as 
rather  too  highly  colored.  On  quitting  home  he  hired  a 
farm  in  Essex,  but  after  six  months'  trial',  he  was  obliged 
to  relinquish  it  for  want  of  funds.  He  at  last  fixed  him- 
self near  North  Mimms,  in  Hertfordshire,  where  he  con- 
tinued for  about  nine  years,  repeating  his  experiments  on 
lands  not  very  favorable  to  them,  and,  like  many  other 
ingenious  speculatists,  losing  his  money  nearly  as  often  as 
he  made  the  attempt.  So  warmly,  however,  was  he  at- 
tached to  his  favorite  pursuits,  that  he  determined  to  pro- 


ARTHUR  YOUNG.  197 

mote  and  recommend  them  by  his  pen,  and  before  he 
had  completed  his  thirtieth  year,  published  several  works 
for  the  improvement  of  agriculture,  particularly  his  *  Far- 
mer's Letters,'  '  Rural  Economy,'  and  *  Tours  through 
the  Southern,  Northern,  and  Eastern  parts  of  England  :' 
all  of  them  replete  with  useful  information.  During  his 
visit  to  the  North  of  England,  an  opportunity  was  afforded 
him  of  rendering  essential  service  to  a  most  extraordinary 
self-taught  agriculturist,  in  humble  life,  a  miner  at  Svvinton, 
named  James  Crofts,  who,  by  the  almost  incredible  devo- 
tion of  twenty  hours  a  day  to  hard  labor,  had,  with  his 
own  hands,  reclaimed  ten  acres  of  moor  land,  on  which  he 
kept  three  milch  cows,  an  heifer,  and  a  galloway.  To  en- 
courage such  a  rare  instance  of  industry  and  application 
in  the  lower  orders,  Mr.  Young  set  on  foot  a  subscription 
for  the  benefit  of  this  humble,  but  most  valuable  member 
of  society,  the  produce  of  which  freed  him  from  his  sub- 
terranean employment,  and  enabled  him  to  direct  his 
attention  exclusively  to  the  improvement  of  waste  lands, 
an  occupation  for  which  he  had,  under  every  possible  dis- 
advantage, evinced  an  extraordinary  adaptation  of  untu- 
tored genius. 

The  tour  of  Mr.  Young  occupied  six  months ;  the  in- 
formation and  incidents  of  which  were  collected,  and  pub- 
lished in  four  octavo  volumes.  He  soon  after  printed  an 
*  Essay  on  Swine,'  to  which  the  gold  medal  of  the  Society 
for  the  Encouragement  of  Arts  was  awarded.  In  1770, 
he  gave  to  the  world  a  very  valuable  treatise,  called  '  The 
Farmer's  Guide  in  hiring  and  stocking  farms ;'  and  so  in- 
defatigable did  he  pursue  his  favorite  object,  that  in  the 
summer  of  1770,  he  made  his  tour  through  the  eastern 
counties  of  England,  in  continuance  of  his  plan,  imper- 
fectly as  he  had  then  formed  it,  of  an  agricultural  survey 
of  England.  The  observations  made  during  this  journey 
were  published  in  May,  1771,  and  it  is  no  small  proof  of 
17* 


198  ARTHUR  YOUNG. 

their  author's  industry,  that  they  were  printed  so  soon,  as 
in  the  course  of  the  year  1770,  (half  of  which  at  least  was 
spent  in  travelHng,)  and  of  the  spring  of  1771.  In  this 
short  period  he  must  have  found  time  to  print  and  pubhsh 
his  '  Farmer's  Guide,'  in  two  volumes  octavo;  his  '  East- 
ern Tour'  in  four  ;  '  Rural  Economy  '  in  one  ;  a  second 
volume  of  the  '  Farmer's  Letters  ;'  and  a  '  Course  of  Ex- 
perimental Agriculture,'  in  two  volumes  quarto,  besides 
superintending  through  the  press  the  second  edition  of  his 
'  Northern  Tour,'  in  four  volumes  octavo.  With  so  much 
to  do,  in  so  short  a  space  of  time,  what  wonder  that  Mr. 
Young  should  not  have  performed  every  thing  vrhich  he 
undertook  equally  well.  He  wrote  his  books  too  fast,  and 
was  too  prone  to  substitute  speculations  for  facts.  After 
the  death  of  his  mother,  he  entered  on  the  possession  of 
the  family  estate,  which  he  continued  to  cultivate  during 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  In  addition  to  the  works  which 
have  been  named,  he  wrote  a  very  sensible  pamphlet  on 
the  Expediency  of  a  Free  Exportation  of  Corn  ;  Proposals 
to  the  Legislature  for  Numbering  the  People  ;  Observations 
on  the  present  state  of  the  Waste  Lands  of  the  kingdom ; 
an  Essay  on  the  Culture  of  Cole-seed,  for  feeding  sheep 
and  cattle,  for  which  the  gold  medal  of  the  Society  for  the 
Encouragement  of  the  Arts  was,  for  the  second  time, 
awarded  him  ;  and  a  Political  Arithmetic.  His  reputation 
was  soon  widely  spread  abroad.  By  order  of  the  empress 
Catharine,  his  agricultural  tours  were  translated  into  the 
Russian  lano-uase.  At  the  same  time,  she  sent  several 
young  Russians  to  the  author,  to  learn  the  system  of  Eng- 
lish agriculture,  under  his  immediate  superintendence. 
Prince  Potemkin  speedily  sent  two  others,  and  his  exam- 
ple was  soon  followed  by  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette.  Mr. 
Young's  tour  through  Ireland,  published  in  17S0,  and 
vThich  contains  a  mass  of  valuable  facts  and  observations, 
is  characterized  by  Maria  Edge  worth  ''  as  the  most  faith- 


ARTHUR  YOUNG.  I99 

ful  portrait  of  the  inhabitants  of  Ireland,  to  whom  it  ren- 
dered essential  service  by  giving  to  other  nations,  and 
more  especially  to  the  English,  a  more  correct  notion  than 
they  had  hitherto  entertained  of  their  character,  customs, 
and  manners." 

In     1784,    this    indefatigable   writer   commenced    his 
'  Annals  of  Agriculture,'   a  periodical  publication,    con- 
tinued monthly  until  the  close  of  his  life,  when  it  amounted 
to   forty-five  octavo  volumes,   forming  a  rich  collection  of 
facts,  essays,  and   communications,  on  every  question  of 
agriculture  and   political   economy.        For  a  long  time, 
however,  this  work  was  more   laborious  than  successful, 
doing  little,  if  anything,  beyond  paying  its  expenses,  tind 
averaging,   when  the -fifteenth  volume   was  completed,  a 
sale  of  only  three  hundred  and  fifty  copies  of  each  num- 
ber.    This  want  of  patronage,  the  disadvantage  of  a  pro- 
vincial press,  misunderstandings  with  one  publisher,  the 
failure   of  another,   £'3o0  in  the   editor's   debt,    and    a 
variety  of  untoward   accidents,  not  unfrequently  falling  to 
the  lot  of  authors  and   editors,  considerably  damped  Mr. 
Young's  expectations  from  a  work,  to  which  he  had  looked 
forward  for  posthumous  reputation.     But  that  reputation 
was  not  so  long  delayed  ;  and  with  it  the  sale  of  his  work, 
and  consequently  its  profits  gradually  increased.     For  the 
information  contained  in  this  truly  valuable  miscellany,  he 
had  the  honor  of  receiving  the   approbation  and  personal 
thanks  of  George  III.  when  he  one  day  met  Mr.  Young  on 
the  terrace   at  AVindsor.      So  deep  an  interest  did  the 
venerable  monarch  take  in  the  success  of  a  work,  of  whose 
merit  no  one  was  more  competent  to  judge,  that  he  shortly 
after  sent  its  editor  some  communications,  in  the  form  of 
letters,  which  were  inserted  in  the  Annals,  under  the  sig- 
nature of  Ralph  Robinson.     In   1787,   1788,  and  1789, 
Mr.   Young  performed  three   tours  in  France,  and  pub- 
lished the  result  of  his  observations  in  two  quarto  volumes. 


200  ARTHUR  YOUNG. 

which  were  favorably  received.  As  a  proof  of  his  energy, 
it  is  stated  that  he  performed  his  second  journey  on  the 
back  of  a  horse,  wall-eyed,  and  well  nigh  blind,  without 
surtout  or  saddle-bags,  and  met,  as  might  be  expected 
from  such  an  equipment  for  a  three  months'  trip,  with 
several  adventures  not  unworthy  the  knight-errantry  of 
Hudibras,  or  Don  Quixote  to  perform,  or  the  genius  of 
Cervantes  or  Butler  to  celebrate. 

On  the  formation  of  the  Agricultural  Board,  Mr.  Young 
became  its  Secretary,  and  performed  the  duties  of  his 
office  till  his  death,  with  great  zeal  and  fidelity.  He  con- 
tinued from  time  to  time,  to  survey  several  of  the  counties 
of  England,  of  which  surveys  he  published  detailed  re- 
ports. To  his  very  last  days  his  attachment  to  his  early 
pursuits  continued  ;  and  at  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was 
preparing  for  the  press  the  result  of  his  agricultural  experi- 
ments and  observations  during  a  period  of  fifty  years. 

Mr.  Young  was  a  man  of  strong  understanding,  of  a 
vio-orous  mind,  and  of  warm  feelings  ;  a  most  diligent 
student,  yet  disposed  to  think  for  himself  He  was  ex- 
tremely temperate  in  his  habits  ;  ardent  and  indefatigable 
in  his  pursuits  ;  and  diligent  and  laborious  in  a  degree 
seldom  equalled.  Through  the  whole  course  of  his  life, 
he  was  a  very  early  riser,  and  continued  this  practice  even 
after  blindness  made  him  dependant  on  others  for  the 
prosecution  of  his  studies.  His  firmness  was  great ;  but 
to  a  man  of  his  sanguine  disposition,  the  continual  obstruc- 
tion to  his  pursuits,  produced  by  his  want  of  sight,  (a 
calamity,  which  afflicted  him  after  1811,  till  his  death,) 
could  scarcely  have  been  borne  with  patience,  had  it  not 
been  for  the  influences  of  religion,  whose  benign  operation 
was  never  more  triumphantly  displayed.  A  most  impor- 
tant change  in  his  principles  and  character,  took  place  in 
the  year  1797  ;  when  the  death  of  his  youngest  daughter, 
to  whom  he  had  been  most  tenderly  attached,  first  led  him 


ARTHUR  YOUNG.  OQl 

to  apply  to  that  only  true  source  of  consolation  over  which 
the  world  has  no  power.  During  the  former  fifty-six 
years  of  his  life,  while  most  subjects  of  importance  had,  at 
one  time  or  other,  engaged  his  attention,  the  most  impor- 
tant of  all,  religion,  had  scarcely  occupied  a  thought.  He 
was  not,  indeed,  an  avowed  skeptic ;  but  his  mind  was  so 
uninstructed,  and  his  heart  so  unconcerned,  in  all  that 
respected  religion,  that,  as  he  used  often  afterwards  to 
declare,  and  deeply  to  lament,  he  was  little  better  than 
a  heathen.  The  diligence  with  which  he  thenceforth 
discharged  his  official  duties,  prosecuted  his  studies,  and 
continued  his  favorite  pursuits  was,  however,  in  no 
degree,  abated,  but  the  motive  was  wholly  changed. 
He  was  now  actuated  by  a  desire  to  please  God,  and 
by  a  wish,  in  his  fear,  to  do  good  to  men.  A  very 
large  proportion  of  his  property  was  devoted  to  the  re- 
lief of  the  distressed.  The  poor  peasantry  around  his 
estate  ever  looked  up  to  him  as  a  father  and  a  friend.  To 
enable  him  to  give  more  to  the  poor,  he  lived  with  sim- 
plicity and  moderation,  without  ostentation,  though  with 
much  hospitality,  no  man  having  a  warmer  heart  towards 
his  friends,  or  giving  them  a  kindlier  welcome  at  his 
cheerful  board.  His  early  opposition  to  the  slave-trade 
evinced  that  he  was  a  friend  to  the  whole  brotherhood  of 
man.  He  died  on  the  20th  of  February,  1820.  The 
disease,  which  terminated  his  mortal  existence,  was  an  ex- 
tremely painful  one  ;  but  in  the  most  excruciating  bodily 
agony,  his  patience  and  resignation  were  exemplarily 
manifested. 


HUMPHREY  DAVY. 

Humphrey  Davy  was  born  in  1778,  at  Penzance,  in 
Cornwall,  England.  His  father  followed  the  profession  of 
a  carver  in  wood,  in  that  town,  where  many  of  his  perform- 
ances are  still  to  be  seen  in  the  houses  of  the  inhabitants. 
All  that  we  are  told  of  Davy's  school  education  is,  that  he 
was  taught  the  rudiments  of  classical  learning  at  a  semi- 
nary in  Trurot  Ke  was  then  placed,  by  his  father,  with  an 
apothecary  and  surgeon  in  his  native  place.  But  instead 
of  attending  to  his  profession,  he  spent  his  time,  either  in 
rambling  about  the  country,  or  in  experimenting  in  his 
master's  garret,  sometimes  to  the  no  small  danger  of  the 
whole  establishment.  The  physician  and  Davy  at  last 
agreed  to  part. 

When  rather  more  than  fourteen  years  old,  he  was  placed 
as  pupil  with  another  surgeon,  residing  in  Penzance  ;  but 
it  does  not  appear  that  his  second  master  had  much  more 
success  than  his  first  in  attempting  to  give  him  a  liking 
for  the  medical  profession.  The  future  philosopher,  how- 
ever, had  already  begun  to  devote  himself,  of  his  own  ac- 
cord, to  those  sciences  in  which  he  afterwards  so  greatly 
distinguished  himself;  and  proceeding  upon  a  plan  of 
study  which  he  had  laid  down  for  himself,  he  had,  by  the 
time  he  was  eighteen  years  old,  obtained  a  thorough  know- 
ledge of  the  rudiments  of  natural  philosophy  and  chemistry. 


HUMPHREY  DAVY.  093 

as  well  as  made  some  proficiency  in  botany,  anatomy,  and 
geometry.  The  subject  of  metaphysics,  it  is  stated,  was 
also  embraced  in  his  reading  at  this  period. 

But  chemistry  was  the  science  to  which,  of  all  others, 
he  gave  himself  with  the  greatest  ardor  ;  and,  even  in  this 
early  stage  of  his  researches,  he  seems  to  have  looked  for- 
ward to  reputation  from  his  labors  in  this  department. 
**  How  often,"  said  he,  in  the  latter  period  of  his  life, 
"  have  I  wandered  about  those  rocks  in  search  after  new 
minerals,  and,  when  tired,  sat  down  upon  those  crags,  and 
exercised  my  fancy  in  anticipations  of  future  renown." 
The  peculiar  features  of  this  part  of  the  country  doubtless 
contributed  not  a  little  to  give  his  genius  the  direction  it 
took.  The  mineral  riches  concealed  under  the  soil  formed 
alone  a  world  of  curious  investigation.  The  rocky  coast 
presented  a  geological  structure  of  inexhaustible  interest. 
Even  the  various  productions  cast  ashore  by  the  sea,  were 
continually  affording  new  materials  of  examination  to  his 
inquisitive  and  reflecting  mind.  The  first  original  experi- 
ment, it  is  related,  in  which  he  engaged,  had  for  its  object 
to  ascertain  the  nature  of  the  air  contained  in  the  bladders 
of  sea-weed.  At  this  time,  he  had  no  other  laboratory 
than  what  he  contrived  to  furnish  for  himself,  by  the  as- 
sistance of  his  master's  phials  and  gallipots,  the  pots  and 
pans  used  in  the  kitchen,  and  such  other  utensils  as  acci- 
dent threw  in  his  way.  These  he  converted,  with  great 
ingenuity,  to  his  own  purposes.  On  one  occasion,  how- 
ever, he  accounted  himself  particularly  fortunate  in  a 
prize  which  he  made.  This  was  a  case  of  surgical  instru- 
ments with  which  he  was  presented  by  the  surgeon  of  a 
French  vessel  that  had  been  wrecked  on  the  coast,  to 
whom  he  had  done  some  kind  offices.  Examining  his 
treasure  with  eagerness,  Davy  soon  perceived  the  valuable 
aid  he  might  derive  in  his  philosophical  experiments  from 
some  of  the  articles.     One  of  the  principal  of  them  was, 


204  HUMPHREY  DAVY. 

in  no  long  time,  converted  into  a  tolerable  air-pump.  The 
proper  use  of  the  instruments  was,  of  course,  as  little 
thought  of  by  their  new  possessor  as  that  of  his  master's 
gallipots  which  he  was  wont  to  carry  up  to  his  garret. 
Davy's  subsequent  success  as  an  experimentalist,  was 
owing,  in  no  small  degree,  to  the  necessity  he  was  placed 
under,  in  his  earliest  researches,  of  exercising  his  skill  and 
ingenuity  in  this  manner.  "  Had  he,"  remarks  his  biog- 
rapher, "  been  supplied,  in  the  couimencement  of  his  ca- 
reer, with  all  those  appliances,  w^hich  he  enjoyed  at  a  later 
period,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  he  might  have  never 
acquired  that  wonderful  tact  of  manipulation,  that  ability 
of  suggesting  expedients,  and  of  contriving  apparatus  so 
as  to  meet  and  surmount  the  difficulties,  which  must  con- 
stantly arise,  during  the  progress  of  the  philosopher  through 
the  unbeaten  tracks  and  unexplored  regions  of  science. 
In  this  art,  Davy  certainly  stands  unrivalled;  and,  like 
his  prototype,  Scheele,  he  was  unquestionably  indebted 
for  his  address  to  the  circumstances,  which  have  been 
alluded  to.  There  was  never,  perhaps,  a  more  striking 
exemplification  of  the  adage,  that  "necessity  is  the  parent 
of  invention." 

Davy  first  pursued  his  chemical  studies,  without  teacher 
or  guide,  in  the  manner  which  has  been  described,  and 
aided  only  by  the  most  scanty  and  rude  apparatus.  When 
still  a  lad,  however,  he  was  fortunate  in  becoming  ac- 
quainted with  Mr.  Gregory  Watt,  son  of  the  celebrated 
James  Watt.  This  gentleman,  having  come  to  reside  at 
Penzance  for  the  benefit  of  his  health,  lodged  with  Mrs. 
Davy,  and  soon  discovered  the  talent  of  her  son.  The 
scientific  knowledge  of  Mr.  Watt,  gave  an  accurate  direc- 
tion to  the  studies  of  the  young  chemist,  and  excited  him 
to  a  systematic  perseverance  in  his  favorite  pursuit.  He 
was  also  providentially  introduced  to  the  notice  of  Mr. 
Davies  Gilbert,  since   President  of  the   Royal    Society. 


HUMPHREY  DAVY.  205 

The  boy,  we  are  told,  was  leaning  on  the  gate  of  his 
father's  house,  when  Mr.  Gilbert  passed,  accompanied  by 
some  friends,  one  of  whom  remarked,  that  there  was  young 
Davy,  who  was  so  much  attached  to  chemistry.  The 
mention  of  chemistry  immediately  fixed  Mr.  Gilbert's 
attention  ;  he  entered  into  conversation  with  the  young 
man,  and,  speedily  becoming  convinced  of  his  extraor- 
dinary talents  and  acquirements,  offered  him  the  use  of 
his  library,  and  whatever  other  assistance  he  might  require 
for  the  pursuit  of  his  studies.  Mr.  Gilbert  and  Mr.  Watt, 
soon  after  this,  introduced  Davy  to  the  celebrated  Dr. 
Beddoes,  who  had  just  established  at  Bristol  what  he 
called  his  Pneumatic  Institution,  for  investigating  the 
medical  properties  of  the  different  gases.  Davy,  who 
was  now  In  his  nineteenth  year,  had  for  some  time  been 
thinking  of  picoceeding  to  Edinburgh,  in  order  to  pursue 
a  regular  course  of  medical  education ;  but  Dr.  Beddoes, 
who  had  been  greatly  struck  by  different  proofs  which 
he  had  given  of  his  talents,  and  especially  by  an  essay  in 
which  he  propounded  an  original  tVory  of  light  and  heat, 
having  offered  him  the  superintendence  of  his  new  institu- 
tion, he  at  once  accepted  the  invitation.  "  The  young 
philosopher,"  remarks  a  biographer,  "  was  now  fairly  en- 
tered on  his  proper  path,  and,  from  this  period,  we  may 
consider  him  as  having  escaped  from  the  disadvantages  of 
his  early  lot.  But  it  was  while  he  was  yet  poor  and  un- 
known, that  he  made  those  acquirements,  which  both 
obtained  for  him  the  notice  of  his  efficient  patrons,  and 
fitted  him  for  the  situation  in  which  they  placed  him. 
His  having  attracted  the  attention  of  Mr.  Gilbert,  as  he 
stood  at  his  father's  gate,  may  be  called  a  happy  incident 
in  the  providence  of  God  ;  but  it  was  one  that  never  would 
have  happened  had  it  not  been  for  the  proficiency  he  had 
already  made  in  science  by  his  own  endeavors.  He  had 
this  opportunity  of  emerging  from  obscurity  ;  but  had  he 
18 


206  HUMPHREY  DAVY. 

not  previously  labored  in  the  cultivation  of  his  mind  as  he 
had  done,  it  would  have  been  no  opportunity  at  all." 

The  experiments  conducted  by  Davy,  and  under  his 
direction,  at  the  Bristol  Institution,  were  soon  rewarded 
by  important  results ;  and  of  these,  Davy,  when  he  had 
just  completed  his  twenty-first  year,  published  an  account, 
under  the  title  of  *  Researches  Chemical  and  Philosophical, 
chiefly  concerning  Nitrous  Oxide,  and  its  respiration.' 
In  this  publication,  the  singularly  intoxicating  effects 
produced  by  the  breathing  of  nitrous  oxide,  were  first 
announced.  This  annunciation  excited  considerable  sen- 
sation in  the  scientific  world,  and  at  once  made  Davy 
generally  known  as  a  most  ingenious  and  philosophic 
experimentalist.  He  was,  in  consequence,  soon  after  its 
appearance,  invited  to  fill  the  chemical  chair  of  the  Royal 
Institution,  then  newly  established.  When  he  commenced 
his  lectures,  he  was  scarcely  twenty-two  years  of  age ;  but 
never  was  success  in  such  an  undertaking  more  marked 
and  gratifying.  He  soon  saw  his  lecture  rooms  crowded, 
day  after  day,  by  all  that  was  most  distinguished  in  the 
rank  and  intellect  of  the  metropolis  ;  and  his  striking  and 
beautiful  elucidations  of  every  subject  that  came  under  his 
review  rivetted,  often  to  breathlessness,  the  attention  of 
his  splendid  auditory.  The  year  after  his  appointment  to 
this  situation  he  was  elected  professor  of  chemistry  to 
the  Board  of  Agriculture  ;  and  he  greatly  distinguished 
himself  by  the  lectures  which  for  ten  successive  sessions, 
he  delivered  in  this  character.  They  were  published  in 
1813,  at  the  request  of  the  Board.  In  1806,  he  was 
chosen  to  deliver  the  Bakerian  lecture  before  the  Society  ; 
and  he  performed  the  same  task  for  several  successive 
years.  Many  of  his  most  brilliant  discoveries  were  an- 
nounced in  these  discourses.  In  1812,  he  received  the 
honor  of  knighthood  from  the  Prince  Regent,  being  the 
first  person  on  whom  his  Royal  Highness  conferred  that 


HUMPHREY  DAVY.  207 

dignity.  Two  days  after,  he  married  a  lady  of  consider- 
able fortune.  In  1813,  he  was  elected  a  corresponding 
member  of  the  French  Institute.  He  was  created  a 
baronet  in  1818.  In  1820,  he  was  chosen  a  foreign  asso- 
ciate of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences,  at  Paris,  on  the 
death  of  the  illustrious  Watt.  He  had  been,  for  some 
time.  Secretary  of  the  Royal  Society  ;  and  on  the  death 
of  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  in  1820,  he  was,  by  an  unanimous 
vote,  raised  to  the  presidency  of  that  learned  body — an 
office  which  he  held  till  he  was  obliged  to  retire,  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health,  in  1827,  when  his  friend  and  first 
patron,  Mr.  Davies  Gilbert,  was  chosen  to  succeed  him. 
Little,  we  may  suppose,  did  either  of  the  two  anticipate, 
when  they  first  met,  thirty  years  before,  at  the  gate  of  Mrs. 
Davy,  that  they  would  thus  stand  successively,  and  in  this 
order,  at  the  head  of  the  most  distinguished  scientific  asso- 
ciation ia  England. 

The  first  memoir  by  Davy,  which  was  read  before  the 
Royal  Society,  was  presented  by  him  in  1801.  It  an- 
nounced a  new  theory,  which  is  now  generally  received, 
of  the  galvanic  influence,  or  the  extraordinary  effect  pro- 
duced by  two  metals  in  contact  with  each  other,  when 
applied  to  the  muscle  even  of  a  dead  animal,  which  the 
Italian  professor,  Galvani,  had  discovered.  It  was  sup- 
posed both  by  Galvani  and  his  countryman  Volta,  who 
also  distinguished  himself  in  the  investigation  of  this  curi- 
ous subject,  that  the  effect  in  question  was  an  electrical 
phenomenon — whence  galvanism  used  to  be  called  animal 
electricity  ;  but  Davy  showed,  by  many  ingenious  experi- 
ments, that,  in  order  to  produce  it,  the  metals  in  fact  un- 
derwent certain  chemical  changes.  Indeed,  he  proved 
that  the  effect  followed  when  only  one  metal  was  employed, 
provided  the  requisite  change  was  by  any  means  brought 
about  on  it,  as,  for  example,  by  the  interposition  between 
two  plates  of  it,  of  a  fluid  calculated  to  act  upon  its  sur- 


208  HUMPHREY  DAVY. 

face  in  a  certain  manner.  In  his  Bakerian  lecture  for 
1806,  he  carried  the  examination  of  this  subject  to  a  much 
greater  length,  and  astonished  the  scientific  world  by  the 
announcement  of  a  multitude  of  the  most  extraordinary 
results,  from  the  application  of  the  galvanic  energy  to  the 
composition  and  decomposition  of  various  chemical  sub- 
stances. From  these  experiments  he  arrived  at  the  con- 
clusion, that  the  power  called  chemical  affinity  was  in 
truth  identical  with  that  of  electricity.  Hence  the  crea- 
tion of  a  new  science,  now  commonly  known  by  the  name 
of  Electro  Chemistry,  being  that  which  regards  the  sup- 
posed action  of  electricity  in  the  production  of  chemical 
changes.  The  discourse,  in  which  these  discoveries  were 
unfolded,  was  crowned  by  the  French  Institute  with  their 
first  prize,  by  a  decision  which  reflects  immortal  honor 
upon  that  illustrious  body ;  who  thus  forgot  not  only  all 
feelings  of  mutual  jealousy,  but  even  the  peculiar  and  ex- 
traordinary hostility  produced  by  the  war,  which  then 
raged  between  the  two  countries,  in  their  admiration  of 
genius,  and  their  zeal  for  the  interests  of  philosophy. 

In  the  interesting  and  extraordinary  nature  of  its  an- 
nouncements, the  Bakerian  lecture,  of  1807,  was  as  splen- 
did a  production  as  that  of  the  former  year.  There  are 
certain  substances,  as  the  reader  is  aware,  known  in 
chemistry  by  the  name  of  alkalis,  of  which  potash  and 
soda  are  the  principal.  These  substances,  chemists  had 
hitherto  in  vain,  exhausted  their  ingenuity,  and  the  re- 
sources of  their  art,  in  endeavoring  to  decompose.  The 
only  substance  possessing  alkaline  properties,  the  compo- 
sition of  which  had  been  ascertained,  was  ammonia,  which 
is  a  gas,  and  is  therefore  called  a  volatile  alkali ;  and  this 
having  been  found  to  be  a  compound  of  certain  proportions 
of  hydrogen  and  nitrogen,  an  opinion  generally  prevailed 
that  hydrogen  would  be  found  to  be  also  a  chief  ingre- 
dient of  the  Jixed  alkalis.     Davy  determined,  if  possible, 


HUMPHREY  DAVY.  209 

to  ascertain  this  point,  and  engaged  in  the  investigation 
with  great  hopes  of  success,  from  the  surpassing  powers 
of  decomposition  which  he  had  found  to  belong  to  his  new 
agent,  the  galvanic  influence.  The  manner  in  which  he 
pursued  this  object,  is  among  the  most  interesting  speci- 
mens of  scientific  investigation  on  record.  One  of  the 
most  important  of  the  laws  of  galvanic  decomposition, 
which  he  had  previously  discovered,  was,  that,  when  any 
substance  was  subjected  to  this  species  of  action,  its 
oxygen  (an  ingredient  which  nearly  all  substances  contain) 
was  developed  at  what  is  called  the  positive  end  or  pole  of 
the  current  of  electricity,  while,  whenever  any  hydrogen 
or  inflammable  matter  was  present,  it  uniformly  appeared 
at  the  opposite  or  negative  pole.  Proceeding  upon 
this  principle,  therefore,  Davy  commenced  his  work  with 
a  fixed  alkali ;  and  at  first  submitted  it,  dissolved  in  water, 
to  the  galvanic  action.  The  result,  however,  was,  that 
the  water  alone  was  decomposed,  nothing  being  disen- 
gaged by  the  experiment  but  oxygen  and  hydrogen,  the 
ingredients  of  that  fluid,  which  passed  off  as  usual,  the 
former  at  the  positive,  the  latter  at  the  negative  pole.  In 
his  subsequent  experiments,  therefore,  Davy  proceeded 
without  water,  employing  potash  in  a  state  of  fusion  ;  and, 
having  guarded  the  process  from  every  other  disturbing 
cause  that  presented  itself,  by  a  variety  of  ingenious  ar- 
rangements, he  had  at  last  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
oxygen  gas  developed,  as  before,  at  the  positively  electri- 
fied surface  of  the  alkali,  while,  at  the  same  time,  on  the 
other  side,  small  globules  of  matter  were  disengaged,  hav- 
ing all  the  appearances  of  a  metal.  The  long  agitated 
question  was  now  determined  ;  the  base  ofthe  fixed  alkalis 
was  clearly  metallic.  To  ascertain  the  qualities  of  the 
metallic  residue  which  he  had  thus  obtained  from  the  pot- 
ash, was  Davy's  next  object.  From  its  great  attraction 
for  oxygen,  it  almost  immediately,  when  exposed  to  the 
18* 


210  HUMPHREY  DAVY. 

atmosphere,  became  an  alkali  again,  by  uniting  with  that 
ingredient ;  and  at  first  it  seemed  on  this  account  hardly 
possible  to  obtain  a  sufficient  quantity  of  it  for  examina- 
tion. But  at  last  Davy  thought  of  pouring  over  it  a  thin 
coating  of  the  mineral  fluid  called  naphtha,  which  both 
preserved  it  from  communication  with  the  air,  and,  being- 
transparent,  allowed  it  to  be  examined. 

But  there  was  another  course  of  investigation,  into 
which  this  philosopher  entered,  which  resulted  in  a  prac- 
tical discovery  of  high  importance.  This  was  the  con- 
trivance of  the  safety  lamp.  In  coal  mines,  frequent 
explosions  had  been  caused  by  the  Jire-damp  or  inflamma- 
ble gas,  which  is  found  in  many  parts  of  them.  By  a 
series  of  experiments,  Davy  found  that  this  dangerous  gas, 
which  was  known  to  be  nothing  more  than  the  hydrogen 
of  the  chemists,  had  its  explosive  tendencies  very  much 
restrained  by  being  mixed  with  a  small  quantity  of  car- 
bonic acid,  and  nitrogen  (the  ingredient  which  along  with 
oxygen,  forms  atmospheric  air) ;  and  that,  moreover,  if  it 
did  explode,  when  so  mixed,  the  explosion  would  not  pass 
through  apertures  less  than  one  seventh  of  an  inch  in 
diameter.  Proceeding,  therefore,  upon  these  ascertained 
facts,  he  contrived  his  safety  lamp.  It  consists  of  a  small 
light,  fixed  in  a  cylindrical  vessel,  which  is  every  where 
air-tight,  except  in  the  bottom,  and  which  is  formed  of 
fine  wire-gauze,  and  in  the  upper  part,  where  there  is  a 
chimney  for  carrying  off  the  foul  air.  The  air  admitted 
through  the  gauze,  suffices  to  keep  up  the  flame  ;  Vv'hich, 
in  its  combustion,  produces  enough  of  carbonic  acid  and 
nitrogen  to  prevent  the  fire-damp,  when  inflamed  within 
the  cylinder,  from  communicating  the  explosion  to  what 
is  without.  The  heretofore  destructive  element,  thus 
caught  and  detained,  is  therefore  not  only  rendered  harm- 
less, but  actually  itself  helps  to  furnish  the  miner  with 
light,  the  whole  of  the  interior  of  the  cylinder  being  filled 


HUMPHREY  DAVY.  OJi 

with  a  steady  green  flame,  arising  from  the  combustion  of 
the  hydrogen,  which  has  been  admitted  to  contact  with 
the  heat,  but  cannot  carry  back  the  inflammation  it  has  re- 
ceived to  the  general  volume  without.  Armed  wqth  this 
admirable  protection,  therefore,  the  miner  advances  without 
risk,  and  with  suflicient  light  to  enable  him  to  work,  into 
recesses  which  formerly  he  would  not  have  dared  to  enter. 
The  safety  lamp  has  already  been  the  means  of  saving 
many  lives,  and  has  enabled  extensive  mines,  or  portions  of 
mines,  to  be  wrought,  which,  but  for  its  assistance,  must 
have  remained  unproductive.  The  coal  owners  of  the 
northern  districts,  in  1817,  invited  Sir  Humphrey  to  a 
public  dinner,  and  presented  him  with  a  service  of  plate 
of  the  value  of  .£2,000,  in  testimony  of  what  they  felt  to 
be  the  merit  of  this  invention. 

"  The  transformations  of  chemistry,"  remarks  Mr.  John 
F.  W.  Herschel,  "  by  which  we  are  enabled  to  convert  the 
most  apparently  useless  materials  into  important  objects  in 
the  arts,  are  opening  up  to  us,  every  day,  sources  of  wealth 
and  convenience  of  which  former  ages  had  no  idea,  and 
which  have  been  pure  gifts  of  science  to  man.  Every  de- 
partment of  art  has  felt  their  influence,  and  new  instances 
are  continually  occurring,  of  the  unlimited  resources  which 
this  wonderful  science  developes  in  the  most  sterile  parts 
of  nature.  Not  to  mention  the  impulse  which  its  progress 
has  given  to  a  host  of  other  sciences  ;  what  strange  and 
unexpected  results  has  it  not  brought  to  light  in  its  appli- 
cation to  some  of  the  most  common  objects  !  Who,  for 
instance,  would  have  conceived  that  linen  rags  were  capa- 
ble of  producing  more  than  their  awn  iveight  of  sugar,  by 
the  simple  agency  of  one  of  the  cheapest  and  most  abun- 
dant acids? — that  dry  bones  could  be  a  magazine  of  nutri- 
ment, capable  of  preservation  for  years,  and  ready  to  yield 
up  their  sustenance  in  the  form  best  adapted  to  the  sup- 
port of  life,  on  the   application  of  that  powerful  agent, 


213  HUMPHREY  DAVY. 

steam,  which  enters  so  largely  into  all  our  processes,  or  of 
an  acid  at  once  cheap  and  durable  ? — that  saw-dust  is  sus- 
ceptible of  conversion  into  a  substance  bearing  no  remote 
analogy  to  bread  ;  and  though  certainly  less  palatable  than 
that  of  flour,  yet  no  way  disagreeable  ;  and  both  whole- 
some and  digestible,  as  well  as  highly  nutritive.  What 
economy  in  all  processes  where  chemical  agents  are  em- 
ployed, is  introduced  by  the  exact  knowledge  of  the  pro- 
portions in  which  natural  elements  unite,  and  their  mutual 
powers  of  displacing  each  other  !  What  perfection  in  all 
the  arts  where  fire  is  employed,  either  in  its  more  violent 
applications,  (as,  for  instance  in  the  smelting  of  metals  by 
the  introduction  of  well-adapted  fluxes,  whereby  we  obtain 
the  whole  produce  of  the  ore  in  its  purest  state,)  or  in  its 
milder  forms,  as  in  sugar  refining  (the  whole  modern  prac- 
tice of  which  depends  on  a  curious  and  delicate  remark  of 
a  late  eminent  scientific  chemist  on  the  nice  adjustment 
of  temperature  at  which  the  crystalization  of  syrup  takes 
place) ;  and  a  thousand  other  arts,  which  it  would  be 
tedious  to  mention." 

We  have  not  space  to  enumerate  many  other  splendid 
discoveries  of  this  great  philosopher.  In  18'37,  his  health 
had  become  so  poor,  that  he  found  it  necessary  to  seek 
relaxation  from  his  engagements,  and  accordingly  resigned 
the  presidency  of  the  Royal  Society.  Immediately  after 
this,  he  proceeded  to  the  continent.  During  his  absence 
from  England,  he  still  continued  his  chemical  researches, 
the  results  of  which  he  communicated  in  several  papers  to 
the  Royal  Society.  He  also,  notwithstanding  his  increas- 
ing weakness  and  suff*erings,  employed  his  leisure  in  lite- 
rary composition  on  other  subjects,  an  evidence  of  which 
appeared  in  his  *  Salmonia,'  a  treatise  on  fly-fishing,  which 
he  published  in  1828.  This  little  book  is  full  of  just  and 
pleasing  descriptions  of  some  of  the  phenomena  of  nature, 
and  is  imbued  with  an  amiable  and  contented  spirit.     His 


HUMPHREY  DAVY.  213 

active  mind,  indeed,  continued,  as  it  would  seem,  to  exert 
itself  to  the  last,  almost  with  as  unwearied  ardor  as  ever. 
Besides  the  volume  which  we  have  just  mentioned,  another 
work,  entitled  'The  Last  Days  of  a  Philosopher,'  which  he 
also  wrote  during  this  period,  has  been  given  to  the  world 
since  his  death.  He  died  at  Geneva,  on  the  30th  of  May, 
1829.  He  had  only  arrived  in  that  city  the  day  before  ; 
and  having  been  attacked  by  an  apoplexy  after  he  had 
gone  to  bed,  expired  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morning. 

"  No  better  evidence,"  says  his  biographer,  "  can  be 
desired  than  that  which  we  have  in  the  history  of  Davy, 
that  a  long  life  is  not  necessary  to  enable  an  individual  to 
make  extraordinary  progress  in  any  intellectual  pursuit  to 
which  he  will  devote  himself  with  all  his  heart  and  strength. 
This  eminent  person  was,  indeed,  early  in  the  arena  where 
he  won  his  distinction ;  and  the  fact,  as  we  have  already 
remarked,  is  a  proof  how  diligently  he  must  have  exercised 
his  mental  faculties  during  the  few  years  that  elapsed 
between  his  boyhood,  and  his  first  appearance  before  the 
public.  Although,  during  this  time,  he  had  scarcely  any 
one  to  guide  his  studies,  or  even  to  cheer  him  onward,  yet, 
notwithstanding  that,  he  had  taken  his  place  among  the 
known  chemists  of  the  age,  almost  before  he  was  twenty- 
one.  The  whole  of  his  brilliant  career  in  that  character, 
embracing  so  many  experiments,  so  many  literary  produc- 
tions, and  so  many  splendid  and  valuable  discoveries, 
extended  only  over  a  space  not  quite  thirty  years.  He  had 
not  completed  his  fifty-first  year  when  he  died.  Nor  was 
Davy  merely  a  man  of  science.  His  general  acquirements 
were  diversified  and  extensive.  He  was  familiar  with  the 
principal  continental  languages,  and  wrote  his  own  with 
an  eloquence  not  usually  found  in  scientific  works.  All 
his  writings,  indeed,  show  the  scholar,  and  the  lover  of 
elegant  literature,  as  well  as  the  ingenious  and  accom- 
plished  philosopher.      Like  almost  all  those,   who  have 


214  HUMPHREY  DAVY. 

greatly  distinguished  themselves  in  the  world  of  intellect, 
he  selected  his  one  favorite  path,  and  persevered  in  it  with 
great  energy  ;  while  he  nevertheless  revered  wisdom  and 
genius  in  all  their  manifestations." 

Of  the  religious  opinions  and  feelings  of  Sir  Humphrey 
Davy  we  know  very  little.  The  following  striking  sentence 
is  found  in  one  of  his  moral  works.  "  I  envy,"  says  he, 
''^no  quality  of  the  mind  or  intellect  in  others  ;  not  genius, 
power,  wit,  or  fancy  ;  but  if  I  could  choose  what  would  be 
most  delightful,  and  I  believe  most  useful  to  me,  I  should 
prefer  ajirm  religious  belief  to  every  other  blessing." 


ADAM  CLARKE. 


We  suppose  that  no  one  will  deny  to  Dr.  Clarke  the 
claim  of  great  and  multifarious  learning,  and  of  most 
patient  and  unwearied  industry  in  whatever  he  undertakes. 
The  soundness  of  his  judgment,  the  clearness  of  his  per- 
ceptions, and  the  strength  of  his  reasoning  powers,  may  not 
be  in  very  high  estimation.  The  truth  of  some  of  the  reli- 
gious doctrines  which  he  maintains,  may  be  questioned  in 
many  of  the  divisions  of  the  Christian  church ;  yet  the  high 
characteristics  of  energy,  perseverance,  supreme  devotion 
to  one  great  object,  all  will  cheerfully  unite  in  awarding  to 
him.  He  is  unquestionably  the  most  learned  man  who 
has  ever  been  connected  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
church. 

Adam  Clarke  was  born  at  Magherafelt,  about  30  miles 
from  the  city  of  Londonderry,  Ireland,  in  the  year  1763. 
His  father  was  a  member  of  a  respectable  English  family. 
His  mother  was  of  Scottish  descent.  Reduced  fortunes  were 
the  reasons  of  their  removing  to  Ireland.  His  parents 
were  pious  and  intelligent  people.  As  soon  as  he  could 
well  be  taught  anything,  he  was  instructed  to  fear  and  love 
the  God  and  Father  of  all,  and  to  worship  him  in  spirit 
and  truth,  through  the  only  Mediator.  The  religious 
principles,  thus  early  implanted,  expanded  and  strength- 
ened as  he  advanced  in  years.     His  father  being  diligently 


216  ADAM  CLARKE. 

engaged  from  day  to  day  in  his  occupations  as  a  farmer, 
had  not,  perhaps,  discerned  in  his  son  any  peculiar  predi- 
lection for  learning.  Had  this  been  the  case,  it  is  very 
probable,  that  he  would  not  have  cherished  it,  but  that  he 
would  have  judged  it  most  prudent  to  turn  the  attention  of 
his  son  towards  trade  and  commerce.  Though  he  was 
able  to  have  imparted  to  him  a  sound  and  mature  educa- 
tion, he  withheld  the  boon  in  a  great  measure,  partly  from 
his  circumstances  and  prospects  in  life,  and  partly  because 
he  foresaw  that  his  agricultural  cares  would  too  frequently 
engage  his  time,  as  well  as  divide  the  attention  of  his  pupil, 
to  too  great  a  degree,  to  anticipate  any  early  proficiency  in 
learning. 

Having  designed  his  son  for  trade,  Mr.  Clarke  placed 
him  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Bennett,  an  extensive  linen 
manufacturer  in  the  neighborhood.  The  lad  had  either 
no  power,  or  no  disposition  to  throw  any  obstacles  in  the 
way  of  a  connection  which  his  father  evidently  desired, 
and  to  which,  perhaps,  he  himself  thought  he  should  be 
able  to  reconcile  himself  But  whether  he  betrayed  his 
aversion  to  manual  labor,  or  whether  he  discovered  his 
strong  desire  for  study,  it  was  soon  perceived  that  he  was 
very  much  dissatisfied.  Accordingly,  a  separation  took 
place  between  him  and  his  master,  alike  honorable  to  all 
the  parties  concerned.  Mr.  Bennett  continued  till  his 
death,  a  steady  friend  and  correspondent  of  INIr.  Clarke. 
About  this  time  the  founder  of  Methodism,  the  Rev.  John 
Wesley,  was  active  in  his  inquiries  after  pious  and  prom- 
ising young  men,  to  assist  him  in  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
Adam  Clarke  was  pointed  out  to  him  as  a  youth  of  promise, 
by  an  individual  who  had  become  acquainted  with  his 
talents.  Mr.  Wesley  had  sometime  before  founded  a 
school  at  Kings  wood,  near  Bristol,  for  the  education  of  the 
sons  of  preachers.  After  a  short  correspondence,  young 
Clarke  was  sent  to  this  school.     Unhappily,  the  treatment, , 


ADAM  CLARKE.  217 

which  he  received  from  the  master,  was  harsh  and  violent. 
Some  have  supposed  it  to  have  arisen  out  of  a  determina- 
tion on  the  part  of  the  pupil  to  apply  himself  to  the  acqui- 
sition of  more  extensive  knowledge  than  the  system  or 
resources  of  that  seminary  contemplated.  It  was  during 
this  trying  period,  that  he  laid  the  foundation  of  that  pro- 
Ibund  acquaintance  with  the  Hebrew  language,  to  which 
he  ultimately  attained.  At  an  early  age,  he  took  for  his 
motto,  "  through  desire,  a  man,  having  separated  himself, 
seeketh  and  intermeddleth  with  all  wisdom."  Mr.  Wes- 
ley soon  after  arrived  at  Kingswood,  and  the  pains  and 
fears  of  Mr.  Clarke  were  dispersed.  That  acute  observer 
perceived  and  estimated  the  excellence  of  his  persecuted 
protege,  and  in  a  short  time  adjudged  him  to  be  worthy  to 
undertake  the  labors  of  an  evangelical  itineracy.  Mr. 
Clarke  entered  on  his  public  work  in  1782.  Several  cir- 
cumstances combined  to  render  him  a  preacher  of  the  high- 
est popularity  among  the  Methodists,  and  of  the  greatest 
usefulness  in  extending  the  influence,  and  exalting  the 
character  of  the  denomination. 

Dr.  Clarke  has  been  an  example  of  temperance  and  per- 
severing industry.  "  Rising  early,  and  late  taking  rest, 
avoiding  all  visits  of  ceremony,  and  journeys  of  mere  plea- 
sure and  recreation,  restricting  himself  to  the  most  whole- 
some diet  and  temperate  beverage,  not  allowing  unneces- 
sary intrusion  on  his  time  ; — these  have  been  among  the 
means  by  which  he  has  at  once  performed  so  much  impor- 
tant duty,  acquired  such  a  store  of  knowledge,  and  retained 
so  unusual  a  portion  of  sound  and  vigorous  health."  Dr. 
Clarke  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  languages  for  the 
purpose  of  assisting  the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society. 
His  principal  work  is  his  Commentary  on  the  Old  and  New 
Testament.  Whatever  may  be  said  of  its  doctrines,  its 
criticisms,  and  its  interpretations,  no  one  can  deny  that  it 
19 


218  ADAM  CLARKE. 

exhibits  an  uncommon  display  of  ingenuity  and  industry, 
and  a  vast  accumulation  of  learning. 

Dr.  Clarke  now  resides  at  Eastcote,  in  the  vicinity  of 
London.  So  far  as  his  increasing  infirmities  and  impaired 
sight  will  allow,  he  takes  his  accustomed  share  of  labor 
with  his  brethren.  He  has  an  interesting  little  museum, 
and  an  extensive  and  very  valuable  library,  which  is  espe- 
cially rich  in  oriental  literature. 


CHARLES  G.  HAINES. 

Charles  G.  Haines  was  born  at  Canterbury,  in  the 
State  of  New  Hampshire,  about  the  year  1793.  His  father 
was  a  respectable  farmer,  in  humble  circumstances,  but 
endowed  with  a  vigorous  mind.  His  energetic  habits  of 
thought  doubtless  exerted  great  influence  on  the  mind  of 
his  son,  by  calling  its  powers  into  activity  at  an  early  age, 
and  thus,  in  some  measure,  compensated  for  the  absence 
of  those  opportunities  of  education,  which  the  limited 
means  of  the  family  put  beyond  their  reach.  Charles 
passed  the  years  of  his  boyhood  in  his  father's  house, 
laboring  on  the  farm  in  the  summer,  and  attending  the 
village  school  in  the  winter.  It  is  probable  that  this  mode 
of  life  did  not  please  him,  and  that  a  restless  spirit  induced 
him  to  seek  some  other  employment  of  a  less  humble 
character.  About  the  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  obtained 
the  situation  of  a  clerk  in  the  office  of  Col.  Philip  Carri- 
gain,  at  that  time  secretary  of  the  State  of  New  Hamp, 
shire.  While  a  mere  copyist  in  the  office  of  tiiis  gentle- 
man, his  desire  to  be  distinguished  in  every  occupition  in 
whioh  he  was  engaged,  showed  itself  in  the  acquisition  of 
a  beautiful  hand-writing — an  attainment  upon  which  no 
intelligent  man  will  place  a  low  es^timate.  On  the  appoint- 
ment of  Col.  Carrigain  to  prepare  a  map  of  the  State,  and 
his  consequent  resignation  of  his  office  of  secretary,  young 


220  CHARLES  G,  HAINES. 

Haines,   partly  by   his  own   exertions,  and  partly  by  the 
assistance  of  his  friends,  prepared  himself  for  college,  and 
was  admitted  to  the  institution  in  Middlebury,  Vermont,  in 
1812.     He  passed  through  the  usual  course  with  credit, 
and  in  1816,  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.     In 
consequence   of  unremitted   application,  his   health    had 
become  feeble,  and  he  was  induced  to  undertake  a  journey 
on  horseback.     On  this  occasion,   he  first  visited  the  city 
of  New  York.     He  continued  his  journey  as  far  as  Pitts- 
burgh,  in  Pennsylvania.      He  returned   to  Vermont,  in 
much  better  health,  and  commenced  the  study  of  law  in 
the  office  of  the  Hon.  Horatio  Seymour,  of  Middlebury. 
He  also  engaged  in  the  task  of  assisting  in  the  editorship 
of  one  of  the  principal  political  journals  of  the  State,  proba- 
bly from  want  of  other  means  of  subsistence.    In  1818,  Mr. 
Haines  removed  to  the, city  of  New  York,  and  entered  the 
law  office  of  Pierre  C.  Van  Wyck,  Esq.     He  soon  took  an 
active  part  in  the  local   politics  of  the  State,  and  was 
appointed  private  secretary  to  governor  Clinton.     Yet  so 
great  was  his  address,  or  so  happy  was  his  disposition,  that 
he  was  beloved  by  all  parties  for  his  generous  feelings  and 
polite  deportment.     During  the  first  year  of  his  residence 
in  New  York,  Mr.  Haines  produced  a  pamphlet,  in  which 
he  took  an  elaborate  review  of  the  probable  expense  and 
advantages  of  the  great  western  canal.      Soon  after,  he 
produced  a  larger  work  on  the  same  subject,  in  which  he 
displays  great   research    and    industry.       After   this,    he 
secluded  himself  almost  entirely  from  society,  and  applied 
himself  closely  to  professional  studies.      Few  men  labor 
more  assiduously  than  Mr.  Haines  did  for  three  years  after 
his  admission  to  the  bar,  and  until  attacked  by  the  disease 
which  proved  fatal  to  him.     Besides  attending  to  his  busi- 
ness as  a  lawyer,  he   uniformly  devoted  three  hours  in  a 
day  to  reading  law,  and   spent  his  nights,  till  a  very  late 
hour,  in  the  study  of  history  and  political  science.     It  was 


CHARLES  G.  HAINES.  221 

his  habit  to  make  copious  abstracts  of  the  books  which  he 
read,  to  which  he  added  numerous  notes  of  his  own.  He 
was  not  an  exact,  practical  lawyer.  While  he  was  famil- 
iar with  the  general  doctrines  of  the  law,  he  devoted  his 
earnest  attention  to  questions  involving  the  principles  of 
our  federal  and  state  constitutions.  It  was  therefore  in 
the  courts  of  the  United  States,  where  all  the  important 
doctrines  regarding  our  national  compact  are  agitated  and 
determined,  that  Mr.  Haines  desired  to  appear.  His 
studies  had  a  constant  tendency  to  this  object.  Among 
his  manuscripts,  there  is  a  minute  analysis  of  the  "  Feder- 
alist," besides  several  volumes  filled  with  quotations,  and 
occasionally  with  complete  abstracts  of  works  on  kindred 
subjects.  The  first  question  in  which  he  was  concerned 
before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  was  one 
involving  the  constitutionality  of  the  state  bankrupt  laws. 
On  its  decision  depended  the  fortune  of  thousands  of  indi- 
viduals, and  the  title  to  millions  of  property.  Mr.  Henry 
Clay  and  Mr.  David  B.  Ogden,  were  his  senior  counsel, 
and  Mr.  Webster  and  Mr.  Wheaton  were  the  opposing 
counsel.  The  impression  made  by  Haines  on  his  learned 
auditors  was  favorable.  The  argument  for  the  constitu- 
tionality of  the  state  bankrupt  laws  was  the  fruit  of  long 
and  laborious  preparation.  It  was  afterwards  printed,  and 
does  great  credit  to  his  industry,  learning,  and  good  sense. 
His  legal  talents  were  never  fully  tested.  His  early  edu- 
cation had  been  hurried  and  deficient.  His  powers  of 
thought  had  never  been  tasked  by  rigorous  trains  of  math- 
ematical and  metapliysical  reasoning.  His  mind  had 
never  been  disciplined  to  that  severity  and  exactness  of 
thought,  which  go  to  form  a  truly  able  lawyer.  Yet  his 
mental  processes  were  just,  rapid,  and  vigorous,  and  even 
when  competing  with  men  of  the  highest  legal  attain- 
ments, his  previous  diligent  preparation,  made  him  always 
respectable.  Mr.  Haines  was  frequently  called  upon  to 
19* 


222  CHARLES  G.  HAINES. 

address  public  assemblies  upon  various  topics  which  for 
the  moment  interested  the  community.  He  freely  lent  his 
aid  to  the  various  institutions  of  charity  and  reform,  giving 
to  Ihem  liberally  his  time,  his  money,  and  his  labor.  In 
general,  he  wrote  out  the  substance  of  his  intended  speech 
at  length.  As  the  views  which  he  took  of  his  subject  were 
large,  his  efforts  of  this  kind  never  disappointed  public 
expectation,  and  were  frequently  honorable  to  his  talents, 
as  well  as  to  his  good  feelings.  Among  the  topics  of  this 
nature,  on  which  he  wrote  and  spoke  with  effect,  were 
"  Pauperism,"  and  the  "  Penitentiary  system."  His  useful 
exertions  for  the  cause  of  humanity  in  relation  to  these 
subjects  will  long  be  remembered  with  gratitude. 

In  the  political  struggles  of  the  State,  Mr.  Haines  was 
very  active.  In  1S25,  governor  Clinton  nominated  him 
adjutant  general  of  the  militia  of  the  State,  an  office  which 
he  did  not  live  to  assume.  The  labors,  in  which  he  was 
engaged,  were  too  severe  for  bis  physical  strength. 
Intense  study  and  continued  sedentary  habits  were  grad- 
ually making  fatal  inroads  upon  a  constitution  originally 
aood,  and  which  had  been  sustained  thus  far  by  a  life  of 
the  strictest  temperance.  His  friends  often  warned  him 
against  the  effects  of  midnight  study  and  neglect  of  exer- 
cise, but  he  used  to  reply  that  he  did  not  require  any  relax- 
ation. Their  fears  were  too  soon  realized.  He  lingered 
till  the  third  of  July,  1825,  when  he  expired  at  the  age  of 
thirty-two  years.  His  funeral  took  place  on  the  sixth  of 
July,  and  was  attended  by  an  immense  concourse  of  citi- 
zens. 

"  His  devotion  to  politics,"  remarks  his  biographer, 
*'  was  almost  a  passi>:)n,  and  if  talent  may  be  estimated  by 
success,  he  was  well  adapted  for  political  life.  Certain  it 
is,  that  he  seized  with  uncommon  tact  upon  those  circum- 
stances which  industry  and  zeal  could  render  favorable  ; 
and  as  he  conciliated  every  man  whom  he  approached,  he 


CHARLES  G.  HAINES.  223 

accomplished  as  much  by  his  personal  influence,  as  by  his 
writings.  There  was,  besides,  in  him  an  enthusiasm, 
which  believed  nothing  impossible ;  and  to  such  an  one, 
obstacles  are  toys,  and  victory  a  pastime.  More  than  all, 
and  united  with  all,  he  possessed  an  indefatigable,  system- 
atic industry,  the  great  secret  of  all  acquisitions.  Those 
who  have  the  originality  to  conceive  great  designs,  are  not 
found  in  general,  to  possess  the  practical  talent  of  devel- 
oping their  utility,  and  carrying  them  into  execution.  Mr. 
Haines  had  the  sagacity  to  seize  on  the  best  conceptions 
of  other  men,  the  diligence  to  gather  important  facts  and 
circumstances  in  their  support,  and  the  activity  and  energy 
to  turn  them  to  practical  account." 

Mr.  Haines  is  a  remarkable  instance  of  what  the  unaid- 
ed efforts  of  one  man  may  accomplish.  He  came  to  the 
city  of  New  York,  a  poor  and  friendless  stranger,  and  in 
the  short  space  of  seven  years,  he  surrounded  himself  with 
numerous  and  valuable  friends,  acquired  considerable  rep- 
utation as  a  scholar,  a  politician,  and  a  writer,  and  rose  to 
one  of  the  highest  offices  in  the  gift  of  the  state  govern- 
ment. His  social  and  private  character  was  exemplary, 
though  his  constitutional  ardor  sometimes  triumphed  over 
his  judgment. 


HENRY  CLAY. 


In  giving  some  facts  in  the  life  of  this  distinguished 
individual,  we  have  but  one  object  in  view  ;  and  that  is  to 
show  what  can  be  accomplished   by  native   resources  of 
mind,  unaided  by  the  fostering  care  of  guides  and  teachers. 
Mr.  Clay  has  undoubtedly  strong  original  powers,  an  intu- 
itive genius,  rapid  perceptions,  and  a  vigorous  imagination. 
He  has  also  been  placed  in  circumstances  which  compelled 
him  to  act.     Still   he  is  a  self-taught  man.     To  collegiate 
discipline,  and  academic  guidance,  he  is  not  in  the  least 
indebted   for   his  extraordinary  attainments.     Far  beyond 
many,   also,  who  have  educated  themselves,    he  has  the 
graces  and  delicacies,  which  are  generally  acquired  only 
in  the  halls  consecrated  to  study.     He  has  not  only  the 
enthusiasm  and  wildness  of  a  Kentuckian,  but  the  beauty 
and   gracefulness   of  classic  lands.     He   has   the   strong, 
native  sense  of  a  backwoodsman,  combined  with  the  amen- 
ity and  polish  which  are  acquired  in  the  ancient  seats  of 
learning.     We  regard  this  as  a  striking  and  most  valuable 
fact.     Mr.  Clay  will  exert,  doubtless,  considerable  influ- 
ence in   future  time,  and  after   his  death,  as  a  model  of 
oratory.      The  events  of  his  life,   the   circumstances  in 
which   he  has  been  placed,   as  well  as  the  native  qualities 
of  his  mind,  naturally  point  him  out  as  an  attractive  exam- 
ple for  the  youthful  heart  to  dwell  upon.     The  generosity, 
the  frankness,   the  enthusiasm  of  his  character  will  win 


HENRY  CLAY.  225 

their  way,  where  simple,  solid,  sterling  excellence  would 
find  no  place.  Mr.  Clay  has  been  the  warm  and  eloquent 
advocate  of  the  independence  of  the  new  Southern  Repub- 
lics, and  of  eaiancipated  Greece.  With  two  or  three  ex- 
ceptions, he  has  manifested  himself  to  be  superior  to  local 
views,  and  temporary  interests,  and  to  be  actuated  by  a 
high  regard  for  the  welfare  of  the  whole  country,  and  of 
future  times. 

Henky  Clay  was  born  in  Hanover  County,  in  the  State 
of  Virginia,  on  the  12th  of  April,  1777.  His  father,  a 
clergyman  of  considerable  talent  and  high  respectability, 
died  while  Henry  was  yet  a  child.  At  an  early  age,  the 
^lad,  having  a  common  school  education,  was  placed  in  the 
office  of  Mr.  Tinsley,  clerk  of  the  high  court  of  chancery, 
at  Richmond,  Virginia.  In  this  situation,  he  met  occa- 
sionally with  the  distinguished  men  of  the  State  ;  and  at 
length,  by  his  amiable  deportment,  and  his  striking  dis- 
plays of  intellect,  attracted  the  attention,  and  gained  the 
friendship  of  chancellor  Wythe,  and  governor  Brooke^  who, 
by  their  joint  advice,  persuaded  him,  at  the  age  of  nine- 
teen, to  undertake  the  study  of  the  law.  To  this  pursuit 
he  applied  himself  with  great  industry  and  ardor.  Soon 
after  being  admitted  to  practice,  in  the  twenty-first  year  of 
his  age,  he  removed  to  Lexington,  in  the  State  of  Ken- 
tucky. Instead  of  entering  immediately  upon  his  profes- 
sional course,  he  still  confined  himself  to  his  legal  studies, 
with  the  determination  of  making  himself  thoroughly  mas- 
ter of  the  great  principles  of  law,  before  he  assumed  the 
responsibility  of  practice.  In  taking  this  course,  he  showed 
a  remarkable  indication  of  good  sense  and  of  sound  judg- 
ment, especially  as  there  were  many  things  in  the  circum- 
stances of  a  new  country  calculated  to  excite  and  call 
forth,  prematurely,  his  distinguished  powers.  He  wisely 
laid  the  foundation,  deep  and  broad,  on  which  he  was  to 
build  his  superstructure  of  reputation  and  usefulness.     Up 


226  HENRY  CLAY. 

to  this  period,  he  had  never  made  an  effort  at  public  speak- 
ing, and  was  wholly  unconscious  of  his  own  oratorical  pow- 
ers ;  although,  it  is  said,  that  his  style  of  conversation,  was 
universally  admired  by  his  associates  for  its  extreme  cor- 
rectness and  elegance.  The  first  exhibition  of  his  powers 
of  extemporaneous  eloquence  was  made  under  peculiar  cir- 
cumstances. Soon  after  his  removal  to  Lexington,  he 
joined  a  debating  society  in  that  place,  but  continued,  for 
some  weeks,  to  attend  its  meetings,  without  offering  to  take 
part  in  its  discussions.  On  one  occasion,  however,  when 
the  vote  on  an  interesting  question,  which  had  been  the 
subject  of  debate,  was  about  to  be  taken,  Mr.  Clay 
remarked,  in  a  low  but  audible  whisper,  that  the  subject 
did  not  appear  to  him  to  have  been  exhausted.  This 
remark  was  overheard  by  several  of  the  members,  who, 
from  their  high  opinion  of  his  powers,  had  long  wished  to 
persuade  him  to  participate  in  the  debates  of  the  society,  and 
they  addressed  the  chairman  simultaneously,  *'  Do  not  put 
the  question  yet,  Mr.  Clay  will  speak."  The  attention  of 
the  society  was  now,  of  course,  directed  to  Mr.  Clay,  who, 
not  having  sufficient  confidence  to  resist  the  appeal,  arose 
under  extraordinary  embarrassment,  and  commenced  his 
speech  by  saying,  "  Gentlcmin  of  the  jury.''  The  mem- 
bers of  the  society  were  unwilling  to  increase  his  agitation 
by  seeming  to  take  notice  of  his  mistake,  and  he  repeated 
it  several  times,  in  a  stammering  tone,  till,  at  length,  he 
gradually  gained  confidence  from  his  own  efforts,  and, 
finally,  concentrating  all  his  vigorous  and  disciplined  pow- 
ers upon  the  subject  in  debate,  he  surprised  his  audience 
with  a  beauty  and  compass  of  voice,  an  exuberance  of  elo- 
quence, and  a  force  of  argument  worthy  of  a  veteran  ora- 
tor. His  reputation  as  a  speaker,  was  at  once  established. 
He  immediately  became  a  leading  champion  in  all  the 
debates  of  the  society.  It  is  very  evident  from  this  cir- 
cumstance, that   Mr.   Clay  had  well  employed  his  time 


HENRY  CLAY.  227 

previously.  He  did  not  depend  upon  his  genius  alone,  but 
upon  the  results  of  patient  reading  and  consecutive  think- 
ing. The  Lexington  bar  was  at  that  time,  undoubtedly, 
the  ablest  in  the  western  country,  consisting  of  George 
Nicholas,  John  Breckinridge,  James  Brown,  James 
Hughes,  William  Murray,  and  other  eminent  men.  Not- 
withstanding the  number,  experience,  and  strength  of 
these  competitors,  Mr.  Clay  soon  came  to  be  intrusted 
with  more  suits  than  any  rival  practitioner.  Though  well 
acquainted  with  the  law,  during  the  early  years  of  his  prac- 
tice, he  was  not,  in  this  respect,  distinguished  beyond 
some  of  his  competitors.  In  legal  science  he  had  superi- 
ors, but,  in  eloquence  and  persuasion,  none.  Though 
capable  of  applying  the  abstract  principles  of  law  with 
great  ingenuity  and  force,  his  genius  was  still  better 
adapted  to  discussions,  in  which  the  natural  powers  of 
intellect  were  principally  called  into  exercise.  The  com- 
mencement of  Mr.  Clay's  political  life  may  be  dated  as  far 
back  as  the  year  1797.  The  people  of  Kentucky  were 
about  to  call  a  convention  to  frame  a  new  constitution  for 
the  State  ;  and  one  feature  of  the  plan,  which  had  been 
submitted  to  them,  was  a  provision  for  the  final  emancipa- 
tion of  the  slave  population.  The  strongest  prejudices  of 
a  majority  of  the  people  in  every  part  of  the  State  were 
arrayed  against  the  measure.  Mr.  Clay  was  aware  of  this 
fact,  but  his  sentiments  and  feelings  were  on  the  side  of 
emancipation  ;  and,  without  taking  a  moment's  heed  to  his 
popularity,  he  entered  into  the  defence  of  his  favorite  pol- 
icy, with  all  the  unquenchable  ardor  of  his  nature.  His 
vigorous  pen  was  busy  in  the  public  journals,  and  his  elo- 
quent voice  was  raised  in  almost  every  assemblage,  in 
favor  of  the  election  of  men  to  the  convention,  who  would 
contend  for  the  extinction  of  slavery.  The  struggle  was 
a  fierce  one  ;  but  the  advocates  of  slavery  prevailed,  and 
the  young  champion  of  liberty  and  equal  rights,  who  had 


228  HENRY  CLAY. 

made  the  friends  of  slavery  tremble  for  their  ancient 
prerogatives,  became  unpopular  on  account  of  the  part 
which  he  had  acted.  The  true  principles  of  slavery  were 
not  then  understood.  The  idea  of  emancipation  was  new. 
It  alarmed  the  prejudices  of  the  multitude,  and  Mr.  Clay's 
powerful  vindications  of  it,  were  regarded  by  many  rather 
as  the  brilliant  but  wayward  efforts  of  a  young  votary  of 
ambition,  than  as  the  results  of  a  calm  and  deliberate  con- 
viction of  right.  But  his  sincerity  in  opposing  negro  servi- 
tude has  been  manifested,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  in  all 
his  public  acts.  Very  frequently  when  a  colored  man 
brought  an  action  at  law  for  his  liberty,  Mr.  Clay  volun- 
teered his  services  as  advocate,  and,  it  is  said,  never 
failed  to  obtain  a  decision  in  his  client's  favor. 

The  subsequent  career  of  Mr.  Clay,  is  well  known.  He 
has  now,  for  the  third  time,  a  seat  in  the  Senate  of  the 
United  States.  On  the  first  day  of  his  appearance,  as  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  in  1812,  he  was 
appointed  speaker  by  a  vote  of  nearly  two  to  one,  over  two 
opposing  candidates.  To  this  office  he  was  uniformly 
re-elected  so  long  as  he  continued  a  member.  During  all 
this  period,  including  seasons  of  unprecedented  political 
strife,  not  one  of  his  decisions  was  ever  reversed,  on  an 
appeal  from  the  chair,  notwithstanding  the  energy  with 
which  he  always  exerted  his  authority.  Mr.  Clay  was  one 
of  the  commissioners,  who  negotiated  ths  treaty  of  peace 
between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain  in  1814. 
He  performed  the  duties  of  secretary  of  state,  during  the 
administration  of  Mr.  Adams,  from  1825  to  1829.  He 
has  thus  been  connected  with  nearly  all  the  great  political 
questions,  which  have  agitated  the  people  of  this  country 
for  the  last  thirty  years.  Hardly  any  individual  has 
exerted  a  more  extensive  influence.  Of  some  of  his  public 
efforts,  and  of  the  measures  which  he  has  advocated,  there 
are  different  views,   according  to  the    circumstances   in 


HENRY  CLAY.  ^9 

which  different  individuals  may  have  been  placed.  No 
one  will  deny  to  him,  however,  the  possession  of  most  dis- 
tinguished gifts  of  nature,  and  of  education.  We  deeply 
regret  that  he  has  sadly  tarnished  his  character  by  having 
been  repeatedly  concerned  in  duelling.  The  wretched 
apologies,  which  his  biographer  attempts  to  make  for  him, 
are  not  deserving  the  slightest  consideration.  There  is 
a  stain  affixed  to  his  character  which  time  will  never  wash 
out.  As  in  the  instance  of  Colonel  Hamilton,  Mr.  Clay 
furnishes  a  most  melancholy  proof  that  conscience,  judg- 
ment, and  all  the  better  feelings  of  the  heart,  may  be 
sacrificed  on  the  shrine  of  honor,  or  rather  of  dishonor 
and  cowardice. 

We  are  glad  that  Mr.  Clay  has  expressed  himself 
so  unequivocally  and  so  nobly  in  behalf  of  the  desolate 
and  outcast  Indians  and  Africans.  He  thus  speaks  of 
the  American  Colonization  Society.  "  Let  us  not  be  dis- 
heartened by  the  little  which  has  been  accomplished  in 
the  brief  space  of  thirteen  years,  or  by  the  magnitude  and 
difficulties  of  the  splendid  undertaking.  In  the  execution 
of  vast  schemes,  which  affect  the  happiness  and  the  con- 
dition of  a  large  portion  of  the  habitable  globe,  time  is 
necessary,  which,  in  the  estimation  of  mortals,  may  appear 
of  long  duration,  but  which,  in  the  eyes  of  Providence,  or 
in  the  computation  of  the  periods  of  national  existence,  is 
short  and  fleeting.  How  long  was  it  after  Romulus  and 
Remus  laid  the  scanty  foundations  of  their  little  state, 
within  the  contracted  limits  of  the  peninsula  of  Italy, 
before  imperial  Rome  burst  forth  in  all  its  astonishing 
splendor — the  acknowledged  mistress  of  the  world  !  Ages 
rolled  away  before  Carthage,  and  other  colonies  of  the 
olden  time,  shone  out  in  all  their  commercial  and  military 
glory.  Centuries  have  elapsed  since  our  forefathers,  in  the 
morasses  of  James  river,  and  on  the  rock  of  Plymouth, 
began  the  work  of  founding  this  republic,  yet  in  its  infancy. 
20 


230  HENRY  CLAY. 

Eighteen  hundred  years  have  rolled  away  since  the  awful 
sacrifice  of  our  blessed  Redeemer  upon  the  mount  of  Cal- 
vary, and  more  than  half  mankind  continue  to  deny  his 
mission  and  his  word  ! 

"  We  may  boldly  challenge  the  annals  of  human  nature 
for  the  record  of  any  human  plan  for  the  melioration  of 
the  condition,  or  the  advancement  of  our  race,  which 
promises  more  unmixed  good  in  comprehensive  benevo- 
lence than  that  of  the  Colonization  Society,  if  carried  into 
full  operation.  Its  benevolent  purposes  are  not  confined 
to  the  limits  of  one  continent,  nor  to  the  prosperity  of  a 
solitary  race.  They  embrace  the  two  largest  portions  of 
the  earth,  with  the  peace  and  happiness  of  both  descrip- 
tions of  their  present  inhabitants  and  the  countless  millions 
of  their  posterity.  The  colonists,  reared  in  the  bosom  of 
this  republic,  with  a  knowledge  of  the  blessings  which 
liberty  imparts,  although  now  unable  to  share  them,  will 
carry  a  recollection  of  them  to  benighted  Africa,  and  light 
up,  in  time,  her  immense  territory.  And  may  we  not 
indulge  the  hope,  that,  in  a  period  of  time,  not  surpassing  in 
duration  that  of  our  own  colonial  and  national  existence,  we 
shall  behold  a  confederation  of  republican  states,  on  the 
western  shores  of  Africa,  with  their  congress  and  their 
annual  legislatures,  thundering  forth  in  behalf  of  the  rights 
of  man,  and  causing  tyrants  to  tremble  on  their  thrones. 
Confiding  in  the  approving  judgment  of  Divine  Provi- 
dence, and  conscious  of  the  benevolence  and  purity  of  our 
intentions,  we  may  fearlessly  advance  in  our  great  work. 
And  when  we  shall,  as  soon  we  must,  be  translated 
from  this  into  another  existence,  is  the  hope  presumptuous, 
that  we  shall  then  behold  the  common  Father  of  the  white 
and  the  black,  the  Ruler  of  the  universe,  cast  His  all- 
seeing  eye  upon  civilized  and  regenerated  Africa — its 
cultivated  fields — its  coasts  studded  with  numerous  cities, 
and  adorned  with  temples  dedicated  to  the  religion  of  His 


HENRY  CLAY.  231 

Redeeming  Son — its  far  famed  Niger,  and  all  its  great 
rivers  lined  with  flourishing  villages,  and  navigated  by  that 
wonderful  power  which  American  genius  first  applied ; 
and  that,  after  dwelling  with  satisfaction  upon  the  glorious 
spectacle,  he  will  deign  to  look  with  approbation  upon  us, 
His  humble  instruments,  who  have  contributed  to  pro- 
duce it," 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 


Carsten  Niebuhr  was  born,  on  the  17th  of  March, 
1733,  in  Hadeln,  then  belonging  to  the  province  of  Fries- 
land,  Denmark,  but  since  united  with  the  kingdom  of 
Hanover,  Germany.  He  lost  his  mother  before  he  was  six 
weeks  old.  He  grew  up  under  the  care  of  a  step-mother 
in  his  father's  house,  where  his  way  of  life  and  employ- 
ments, as  well  as  his  education,  were  those  common  to  the 
peasant  boys  of  his  country.  It  was,  probably,  owing  to  his 
own  eager  desire  for  knowledge,  that  his  father  was  induced, 
only  with  a  view  of  his  being  somewhat  better  instructed 
than  a  common  peasant,  to  send  him  to  the  grammar 
school  in  Otterndorf,  whence  he  afterwards  went  to  that  at 
Altenbruch.  But  the  removal  of  the  schoolmaster  of  the 
place,  and  the  prejudices  of  the  guardians,  (for  his  father 
had  died  in  the  interval,)  put  an  end  to  his  school-studies 
before  he  had  gone  far  enough  even  to  have  them  suffi- 
ciently impressed  on  his  memory,  to  be  of  any  service  to 
him,  when  he  afterwards  resumed  them.  The  division  of 
his  father's  property  between  the  surviving  children,  had 
left  him,  instead  of  the  farm  which  had  been  so  long  the 
hereditary  possession  of  the  family,  only  a  very  small  capi- 
tal, quite  inadequate  to  the  purchase  of  any  land  for  him- 
self; and  necessity  would  have  led  him  to  acquire  knowl- 
edge, as  a  means  of  subsistence,  even  if  he  had  been  of  a 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  333 

character  to  endure  to  live  without  education,  and  without 
employment.  He  was  obliged,  however,  to  content  himself 
with  such  accomplishments  as  were  attainable  without 
school-learning ;  he,  therefore,  for  a  year,  pursued  music 
with  great  zeal,  and  learned  to  play  on  several  instruments 
with  a  view  to  earn  his  living  as  an  organist.  As  this 
employment,  likewise,  did  not  meet  the  approbation  of  his 
guardians,  his  maternal  uncle  took  him  home  to  his  own 
house,  where  he  passed  about  four  years,  during  which  his 
life  was  once  more  completely  that  of  a  peasant.  The 
older  he  grew,  however,  the  less  could  he  endure  the  void 
and  dulness  of  this  way  of  life,  which  can  only  be  relieved,, 
either,  as  in  old  times,  by  a  share  in  the  general  delibera- 
tion on  the  affairs  of  the  community,  and  by  cheerfulness 
and  merriment,  or,  as  is  the  case  with  the  English  farmer, 
by  a  participation  in  the  advantages  of  education  and 
literary  amusement.  He  felt  an  irresistible  impulse  to 
learn,  to  employ  himself,  and  to  render  himself  generally 
useful. 

The  providential  circumstances  which  determine  the 
course  of  life  of  distinguished  men,  deserve  to  be  remem- 
bered. In  the  highest  degree  providential  was  that  which 
gave  to  Niebuhr  the  direction  which  he  thenceforth  fol- 
lowed, until  it  led  him  to  become  one  of  the  most  eminent 
travellers  of  modern  times,  A  law  suit  had  arisen  concern- 
ing the  superficial  contents  of  a  farm,  which  could  only  be 
decided  by  measurement,  and  as  there  was  no  land  surveyor 
in  Hadeln,  the  parties  were  obliged  to  send  for  one  to 
another  place.  Niebuhr  felt  for  the  honor  of  his  native 
district  with  all  the  warmth  of  old  times,  and  this  occurrence 
appeared  to  him  disgraceful  to  it.  He  could  now  fulfil  a 
duty  towards  his  country  by  learning  the  neglected  art, 
which  at  the  same  time,  furnished  him  with  an  occupation 
and  an  object  such  as  he  desired.  Learning  that  instruc- 
tion in  practical  geometry  was  to  be  had  in  Bremen,  he 
20* 


234  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

immediately,  on  arriving  at  age,  repaired  to  that  city. 
This  plan  was  frustrated ;  the  teacher  upon  whom  he 
depended  was  dead;  but  he  did  not  disdain  the  instruc- 
tions of  a  humble  practitioner  of  the  art.  He,  however, 
would  be  obliged  to  lodge  and  board  in  his  house,  and 
here  the  bashful,  strictly  decorous,  and  self-distrusting 
young  peasant,  found  two  town-bred  young  ladies,  sisters 
of  his  intended  teacher,  whose  attentions  appeared  to  him 
so  singular  that  he  quickly  took  his  departure.  He  now 
turned  his  eyes  towards  Hamburgh,  but  there  he  was 
destined  again  to  experience  disappointment,  and  to  have 
his  perseverance  put  to  the  test. 

He  had  passed  his  two  and  twentieth  year  when  he  went 
to  Hamburgh  to  avail  himself  of  Succow's  instructions  in 
mathematics,  and,  without  any  false  shame  on  account  of 
his  age,  to  begin  his  school-studies  anew,  his  income  was 
not  sufficient  to  maintain  him  even  with  that  rigid  economy 
which  was  natural  to  him.  He  determined,  however,  to 
spend  just  so  much  of  his  small  capital  as  would  enable 
him  to  accomplish  his  end.  He  arrived  at  Hamburgh  in 
the  summer  of  the  year,  1755.  But  just  at  this  time, 
Succow  was  called  to  Jena ;  the  mathematical  chair 
was  not  filled  till  Biisch  was  appointed  to  it.  The  severest 
application  to  private  instruction  was,  therefore,  necessary 
to  make  the  lessons  at  the  gymanasium  (or  public  school) 
intelligible  or  profitable  to  him.  A  countryman  of  his, 
named  Witke,  who,  at  that  time,  lived  at  Hamburgh  as 
candidate  for  holy  orders,  and  who  afterwards  died  at 
Otterndorf,  where  he  was  pastor,  gave  him  this  private 
instruction  with  true  cordiality  and  friendship.  Niebuhr 
always  spoke  of  him  as  the  person  who  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  his  education,  and,  as  such,  honored  and  loved 
him,  with  sincere  affection.  Notwithstanding  his  uncom- 
mon exertions,  and  the  strength  both  of  his  body  and  mind, 
twenty  months  (eight  of  which  were  passed  in    merely 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR,  235 

preparatory  studies,  for  the  Latin  tongue  was  almost  en- 
tirely unknown  to  him)  were  quite  insufficient  for  one, 
who  began  to  learn  so  late  in  life,  to  acquire  that  amount 
of  knowledge,  which  more  favored  youths  bring  with  them 
to  the  university.  Among  other  things  thus  unavoidably 
neglected  was  Greek,  of  which  he  always  greatly  lamented 
the  want.  Under  Biisch  he  had  begun  to  learn  mathe- 
matics. He  was  the  earliest  and  most  distinguished  of 
all  his  pupils,  and  in  subsequent  life,  became  his  most 
intimate  friend.  To  stop  in  the  middle  of  any  undertak- 
ing was  thoroughly  repugnant  to  his  whole  character.  He 
had  gone  to  Hamburgh  solely  with  a  view  to  acquire  a 
knowledge  of  geometry,  and  of  some  things  commonly 
taught  in  the  schools  ;  but  as  soon  as  he  had  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  sciences,  he  could  not  rest  till  he  was 
able  to  embrace  them  in  all  their  extent  and  depth.  In 
the  spring  of  1757,  he  repaired  to  Gottingen.  The  mathe- 
matics continued  to  be  his  favorite  study.  He  was  now 
more  than  ever  compelled,  by  the  diminution  of  his  little 
substance,  to  aim  at  some  employment  by  which  he  could 
maintain  himself,  and  to  which  his  studies  would  lead. 
This  he  now  looked  to  in  the  Hanoverian  engineer  corps, 
in  which  (as  was  the  case  in  nearly  the  whole  military 
service  of  Germany)  men  of  efficient  mathematical  attain- 
ments were  extremely  rare.  There  he  might  hope  to  obtain 
by  merit,  a  competent  support.  He  studied  with  the  steadi- 
ness which  a  fixed,  simple,  and  prudent  plan  of  life  en- 
sures, from  the  spring  of  J  757,  for  more  than  a  year, 
undisturbed  by  the  war,  which  frequently  raged  around 
Gottingen.  At  this  time  he  recollected  that  an  endow- 
ment, or  fund  for  exhibitions,  existed  at  this  university, 
and  begged  his  friend  to  ascertain  whether  it  was  only  for 
poor  students  in  the  strict  sense  of  the  term  ;  or  whether 
it  was  endowed  without  that  limitation,  ''  as  a  means  of 
persevering  in  the  study  of  something  useful  and  impor- 


236  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

tant.  In  this  case  alone  could  he  allow  himself  to  apply 
for  it."  He  received  it  and  appropriated  it  entirely  to  the 
purchase  of  instruments. 

At  this  period,  Frederick  the  Fifth  reigned  in  Denmark 
in  enviable  tranquillity.  Louis  the  Fourteenth's  memory 
still  shone  throughout  Europe,  vi^ith  all  that  false  glitter, 
which  had  hung  around  his  name,  during  his  life,  and  he 
was  well  known  to  be  the  model  after  which  the  ministers 
of  the  Danish  monarch,  endeavored,  as  far  as  it  was  com- 
patible with  the  character  of  a  peaceful  king,  to  form 
their  sovereign.  Seldom,  however,  have  the  aims  of  min- 
isters been  less  liable  to  reproach  than  were  those  of  the 
then  baron  J.  H.  E.  Bernstorf ;  and  among  all  the  states- 
men of  the  continent,  there  was  not,  perhaps,  one  of  his 
time,  so  well  informed,  so  noble  minded,  and  so  intelli- 
gent. The  extraordinary  and  beneficent  qualities  and  en- 
dowments of  the  second  count  Bernstorf,  will  be  remem- 
bered by  a  grateful  nation,  since  what  he  effected  remains 
indestructible,  and  forms  the  sole  basis  for  future  reforms 
and  improvements.  Posterity  will  perhaps  mention,  as 
among  the  noblest  actions  of  his  uncle,  J.  H,  E.  Bernstorf, 
the  emancipation  of  his  serfs,  or  the  slaves  of  the  soil ;  the 
leisure,  which  he  insured  to  Klopstock,  and  the  scientific 
expedition  which  he  sent  into  Arabia.  This  enterprise 
was  originally  owing  to  Michaelis,  who.  had  represented  to 
the  minister  of  state  that  many  elucidations  of  the  Old 
Testament  might  be  obtained  by  personal  observation  and 
inquiry  in  Arabia,  which  might  be  regarded  as  hitherto 
untrodden  by  European  feet.  The  original  idea  in  the 
mind  of  the  author  extended  no  farther  than  this  ;  that  a 
single  traveller,  an  oriental  scholar  out  of  his  own  school, 
should  be  sent  by  way  of  India  to  Yemen  ;  a  plan  which 
would  then  have  caused  the  undertaking  to  end  in  nothing, 
even  supposing  the  traveller  ever  to  have  found  his  way 
back.     Happily  Bernstorf  immediately  perceived  the  de- 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  337 

fectiveness  of  the  plan,  and  replied  to  it  by  a  proposal  to 
render  the  mission  far  more  extensive  in  objects  and  out- 
fit. As  Bernstorf  took  up  the  project  with  all  the  vivacity 
and  liberality  for  which  he  was  so  remarkable,  and  fully 
empowered  Michaelis  to  propose  an  oriental  scholar  to 
him,  it  might  have  been  expected  that  Michaelis  would 
have  named  the  man  who,  among  all  his  contemporaries, 
was  unrivalled  for  his  knowledge  of  the  Arabic  language, 
and,  as  all  Germany  knew,  was  fighting  inch  by  inch  with 
starvation, — Reiske, — whom,  moreover,  Michaelis  had 
known  from  the  time  he  was  at  school.  But  instead  of 
Reiske,  he  recommended  a  pupil  of  his  own,  Von  Haven, 
whose  acquirements  must,  at  that  time,  have  been  those  of 
a  mere  school-boy,  since  a  two  years'  residence  at  Rome, 
(whither  he  went  to  prepare  himself  under  the  Maronites,) 
and  even  the  journey  itself,  never  raised  them  above  the 
meanest  mediocrity.  Michaelis  was  also  commissioned  by 
Bernstorf  to  propose  the  mathematicians  and  natural 
historians.  For  the  choice  of  these  men,  Michaelis  ap- 
plied to  Kastner,  one  of  the  Gottingen  Society  of  Sciences, 
of  which  he  was  then  director.  A  student  of  Hanover, 
Bolzing,  at  first  accepted  the  proposal,  but  after  a  short 
time  withdrew  his  promise.  Kastner  next  proposed 
Niebuhr.  One  day  in  the  summer  of  175S,  on  his  way 
from  a  meeting  of  the  Society,  to  which  he  had  just  pro- 
posed Niebuhr,  he  walked  into  his  room.  "  Have  you  a 
mind  to  go  to  Arabia,"  said  he.  "  Why  not,  if  any  body 
will  pay  my  expenses,"  answered  Niebuhr,  whom  nothing 
bound  to  his  home,  and  who  had  an  unbounded  desire  for 
seeing  the  w^orld.  "  The  king  of  Denmark,"  replied 
Kastner,  "  will  pay  your  expenses."  He  then  explained 
the  project  and  its  origin.  Niebuhr's  resolution  was  taken 
in  a  moment,  so  far  as  his  own  inclination  was  concerned. 
But  as  he  thought  very  humbly  of  himself,  and  most  rev- 
erentially of  science  and  of  the  truly  instructed,  he  de- 


238  CARSTEN  NIEBUHK, 

spaired  of  his  own  ability  and  power  of  being  useful.  On 
this  head,  however,  Kastner  set  him  at  ease  by  the  promise 
of  a  long  term  of  preparation,  which  he  might  employ 
chiefly  under  Mayer,  in  astronomy,  and  by  the  assurance 
that,  with  his  determined  industry  and  perseverance,  the 
allotted  time  would  be  fully  sufficient.  The  same  evening, 
Niebuhr,  who  wanted  nothing  to  fix  his  resolution  but 
Mayer's  promise  to  instruct  him  in  astronomy,  called  on 
the  philosopher.  Mayer,  who  was  not  so  sanguine  a  man 
as  Kastner,  cautioned  him  against  a  determination  which, 
with  his  character,  would  be  irrevocable ;  while  he  knew 
not  the  dangers  and  fatigues,  which  he  was  about  to  brave. 
He,  however,  promised  the  desired  instruction.  Michaelis, 
whom  he  visited  the  following  day,  probably  saw  that 
there  was  levity  and  precipitation  in  so  prompt  a  resolu- 
tion, and  pressed  upon  him  to  delay  a  week  to  reconsider 
the  matter.  It  passed,  but  Niebuhr  did  not  trouble  him- 
self with  any  further  deliberation  on  a  subject  upon  which 
his  mind  was  already  thoroughly  resolved,  and  Michaelis 
now  regarded  the  engagement  as  definitively  accepted.  His 
conditions  were,  a  year  and  a  hialf  for  preparation  ;  and 
during  this  period,  the  same  salary  as  Von  Haven  received. 
Bernstorf  assented  to  this  arrangement  without  the  slightest 
hesitation.  Niebuhr  now  lived  solely  for  his  object.  He 
pursued  his  studies  in  pure  mathematics,  perfected  himself 
in  drawing,  and  sought  to  acquire  such  historical  informa- 
tion as  was  attainable  with  that  degree  of  learning  which 
he  had  so  lately  and  so  imperfectly  acquired,  wuthout  neg- 
lecting his  more  immediate  objects.  He  cultivated  prac- 
tical mechanics,  with  a  view  of  acquiring  greater  dexXerity 
in  handling  his  instruments,  and  in  various  manual  opera- 
tions, the  acquirement  and  practice  of  which  in  Europe, 
except  for  those  whose  business  they  are,  is  but  a  waste 
of  time.  His  attention  was,  however,  principally  occupied 
by  the  private  lessons  of  Michaelis  in  the  Arabic  language, 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  239 

and  of  Mayer  in  astronomy.  These  he  remembered  with 
very  different  feelings.  For  the  grammatical  study  of  lan- 
guages in  general  he  had  but  little  talent  or  inclination. 
At  the  end  of  a  few  months  he  gave  up  this  course  of  in- 
struction. 

Tobias  Mayer  was  undoubtedly  one  of  the  first  astrono- 
mers and  mathematicians  of  his  time.  The  results  of  his 
labors  consist  principally  of  a  catalogue  of  992  stars,  and 
his  famous  lunar  and  solar  tables.  His  valuable  theory  of 
the  moon,  and  the  laborious  calculation  of  these  tables, 
together  with  the  invention  of  Hadley's  quadrant,  in  1731, 
enabled  Maskelyne  to  bring  into  general  use  the  method 
of  discovering  the  longitude  by  observing  the  distance  of 
the  moon  from  the  sun,  and  certain  fixed  stars,  called  the 
lunar  method.  Mayer's  zeal  for  teaching  his  pupil  was  as 
great  as  Niebuhr's  for  learning  of  him.  Among  all  the  men 
with  whom  he  became  acquainted  in  the  course  of  his 
long  life,  there  was  none  whom  he  so  loved  and  honored 
as  Mayer  ;  and  the  most  intimate  friendship  subsisted  be- 
tween them.  He  retained  an  ardent  attachment  to 
Mayer's  memory  up  to  the  most  advanced  age,  and  he 
hardly  ever  received  from  Providence  any  greater  gratifi- 
cation than  that  of  hearing  that  his  first  lunar  observations 
reached  his  beloved  teacher  on  his  death-bed,  before  con- 
sciousness had  left  him,  and  had  cheered  and  animated 
his  last  moments  ;  and  that  these  observations  had  decided 
the  giving  the  English  premium,  offered  for  the  discovery 
of  the  longitude,  to  the  widow  of  the  man  to  whom  he  felt 
that  he  was  indebted  for  his  acquirements  in  this  branch 
of  science.  Mayer,  on  his  part,  had  no  more  earnest 
solicitude  than  to  educate  a  pupil  who  would  apply  his 
method  of  determining  the  longitude,  and  his,  at  that  time, 
unprinted  lunar  tables,  of  which  Niebuhr  made  a  copy. 
Mayer  interested  himself  in  the  outfit  of  Niebuhr's  jour- 
ney, so  entirely  as  if  it  had  been  his  own  personal  affair, 


240  CARSTKN  NIEBUHR. 

that  he  divided  his  quadrants  with  his  own  hands.  The 
accuracy  of  this  labor  of  friendship  was  proved  by  the  ob- 
servations which  were  made  with  it.  About  the  time  of 
commencing  his  journey,  Niebuhr  was  appointed  lieuten- 
ant of  engineers,  a  circumstance  which  only  deserves 
notice  for  the  sake  of  a  letter  which  places  his  modesty 
and  judgment  in  the  most  amiable  light.  "  He  was,"  as 
he  wrote  to  a  friend,  "  led  to  think  of  a  title  for  himself, 
by  Von  Haven's  appointment  to  a  professorship  in  the 
university  of  Copenhagen.  A  similar  one  had  been  offered 
to  him,  but  he  held  himself  unworthy  of  it.  The  one 
which  he  had  received,  appeared  to  him  more  suitable. 
He  might  have  had  that  of  captain,  if  he  had  asked  for  it ; 
but  that,  for  a  young  man,  would  have  been  too  much. 
As  a  lieutenant,  it  W'Ould  be  highly  creditable  to  him  to 
make  valuable  observations  ;  but  as  professor,  he  should 
feel  it  disgraceful  not  to  have  sufficiently  explored  the 
depths  of  mathematical  science."  He  had  at  that  time  no 
other  plan  than  that  of  living  in  his  native  country,  after 
the  accomplishment  of  his  mission,  on  the  pension  which 
was  assigned  to  him. 

The  party  consisted  of  Von  Haven,  already  mentioned ; 
Forskaal,  in  many  respects,  eminently  qualified  for  the 
undertaking ;  Cramer,  a  physician,  a  most  unfortunate 
choice  ;  Bauernfeind,  a  draughtsman,  a  respectable  artist, 
but  intem.perate ;  and  Niebuhr.  On  the  10th  of  March, 
1761,  the  travellers  left  the  Elsineur  roads  for  the  Medi- 
terranean. The  voyage  was  a  pleasant  one  to  Niebuhr. 
He  endeavored  to  make  himself  acquainted  with  the  con- 
struction of  the  ship,  and  he  exercised  himself  daily  in 
nautical  and  astronomical  observations,  which  procured 
him  the  satisfaction  of  being  regarded  by  the  officers  as  an 
active  and  useful  member  of  their  company.  Mayer,  in 
the  instructions  which  he  gave  to  Niebuhr,  had  constantly 
kept   in  view  that  his  pupil  would  be  placed  in  situations 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  241 

in  which  it  would  be  absolutely  necessary  for  him  to  be 
able  to  rely  upon  himself,  and  where  he  could  not  hope 
for  the  slightest  assistance  or  support.  He  had  taught 
him  entirely  himself,  and  encouraged  him  with  the  assur- 
ance that  an  active  and  clear-sighted  man  is  generally 
able  to  discover  means  to  overcome  the  obstacles  which 
may  oppose  him.  His  method  of  teaching,  which  was 
entirely  practical,  was  chiefly  this.  He  first  described  to 
his  pupil  the  object  of  the  observation  and  the  method  of 
using  the  instruments.  He  then  left  him  without  any 
assistance,  to  try  how  far  he  could  proceed  in  his  observa- 
tion and  calculation,  and  desired  him  to  tell  him,  when  he 
came  to  any  insurmountable  difficulty.  He  was  obliged 
to  describe  exactly  how  far  he  had  gone  on  well,  and 
where  his  progress  had  been  stopped,  and  then  Mayer 
assisted  him. 

A  stay  of  some  weeks  at  Marseilles,  and  of  a  shorter 
time  at  Malta,  procured  a  very  agreeable  recreation  to  the 
party.  The  scientific  enterprize  was  known  throughout 
Europe,  and  we  should  find  it  difficult  now,  to  picture  to 
ourselves  the  universal  interest  in  its  success,  which  en- 
sured to  the  travellers  the  most  cordial  reception  and  the 
most  respectful  attentions.  It  was  an  enterprize  conso- 
nant with  the  spirit  of  the  times,  and  in  no  manner 
solitary  or  strange.  Asia  was  become  an  object  of  interest 
to  Europeans,  from  the  war,  which  the  two  great  mari- 
time powers  were  then  waging  in  India.  England  began 
to  send  out  ships  to  circumnavigate  the  globe.  It  was 
just  that  period  of  general  satisfaction  and  delight  in 
science  and  literature,  in  which  mankind  believed  that 
they  had  found  the  road  that  must  inevitably  lead  to  rapid 
advances  in  knowledge  and  improvements ;  men  of  letters 
enjoyed  great  consideration  ;  and  the  interest  of  science 
and  of  its  followers  were  generally  regarded  as  among  the 
most  important  in  which  mankind  could  be  engaged, 
21 


242  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

From  Malta,   the  expedition  proceeded  to  the  Darda- 
nelles.    In   the  Archipelago,  Niebuhr  was  attacked  with 
the  dysentery,  and  was  near  dying.     He  recovered    his 
health  at  Constantinople,  but  so  slowly,  that  at  the  expira- 
tion of  two  months  from  the  beginning  of  his  illness,  he 
had   scarcely  made   sufficient  progress  to  go  on  board  a 
vessel  bound  for  Alexandria,  without  manifest  danger.     In 
Egypt,   the   party  remained   a  whole  year,  in  which  time 
Niebuhr,   in   company   with   Von   Haven,   and  Forskaal, 
visited  Mount  Sinai.     During  their  stay  in  Egypt,  Niebuhr 
determined  the  longitude  of  Alexandria,  Kahira,  Raschid, 
and  Damietta,  by  means  of  numerous  lunar  observations, 
with  an  accuracy,  which  the   astronomers  of  Bonaparte's 
expedition,   to  their   great  surprise,   found   fully  equal  to 
their  own.     The  following  is  the  description  of  the  outfit 
of  himself  and    his   companions  for   their   expedition   to 
Mount  Sinai.     "  We  had  made  careful  provision  for  every 
thing  which  we  thought  necessary  for  the  journey  before 
us.     We  had   abundance  of  eatables,   a  tent,  and  beds. 
Most   of    the    utensils    carried  on    expeditions   in   these 
countries,  have  been  described  and  drawn  by  other  travel- 
lers ;  and  indeed   some  of  them  are  so  convenient,  that 
they  might  be  introduced  into  European  armies  with  signal 
advantage.     Our  little  kitchen  apparatus  was  of  copper, 
well  tinned  inside  and  outside.     Our  butter  we  carried  in 
a   sort  of  pitcher,  made  of  thick  leather.     Table  cloths 
we  did  not  want.     A  large  round  piece  of  leather  was 
our  table.     This  had   iron  rings    attached   to    its    edge, 
throuo^h  which  a  cord  was  passed.     After  dinner   it  was 
drawn  up,  slung  over  a  camel,  and  thus  served  the  double 
office  of  a  table  and  a  bag.     Our  coffee  cups  (saucers  we 
had   none)  were   carried  in   a  wooden  box  covered  with 
leather,  and  wax  candles  in  a  similar  box,  enclosed  in    a 
leathern  bag.     In  the  lid  of  this  box  was  a  tube,  which  was 
our  candlestick.     Salt,  pepper,  and  spice,  we  also  kept  in 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  243 

a  little  wooden  box,  with  several  lids  screwed  one  over 
another.-  Instead  of  glasses  we  had  little  copper  cups, 
beautifully  tinned  within  and  without.  Our  lanthorns 
were  of  linen,  and  could  be  folded  together  like  the  little 
paper  lanthorns  which  children  make  in  Europe,  only  that 
ours  had  covers  and  bottoms  of  iron.  Each  of  us  was  fur- 
nished with  a  water  pitcher  of  thick  leather,  out  of  which 
we  drank  ;  and  as  we  sometimes  found  no  water  for  two 
or  three  days,  we  carried  a  good  many  goat  skins  filled 
with  it.  We  also  took  two  large  stone  water  jars  with  us, 
that  we  might  be  able  to  carry  water  ourselves  on  the 
journey  from  Suez  to  Djidda.  Our  wine  we  kept  in  large 
glass  flasks,  each  holding  twenty  of  our  bottles.  These 
vessels  appeared  to  us  the  best  for  the  purpose  ;  but  when 
a  camel  falls,  or  runs  against  another  with  his  load,  they 
easily  break,  and  therefore  goat  skins  are  better  for  the 
purpose.  The  hides,  which  are  used  to  contain  water, 
have  the  hair  on  the  outside  ;  but  those  for  wine  have  it  on 
the  inside,  and  are  so  well  pitched,  that  the  liquor  acquires 
no  bad  taste." 

In  this  journey,  Niebuhr  made  astronomical  and  geo- 
graphical observations  as  often  as  possible.  Out  of  these 
laborious  investigations  grew  the  chart  of  the  Red  sea, 
which,  considering  the  circumstances  under  which  it  was 
made,  was  a  masterly  work.  Von  Haven  died  about  the 
end  of  May,  1763.  Niebuhr  was  again  attacked  by  dys- 
entery, and  was  saved  only  by  the  greatest  care  and  tem- 
perance. The  climate  and  numerous  annoyances  which 
Forskaal  had  partly  brought  upon  himself,  and  partly 
aggravated  through  his  caprice,  brought  on  a  bilious  dis- 
order, of  which  he  died  at  Jerim,  on  the  1 1th  of  July, 
1763.  Mokha,  situated  in  the  arid  desert  of  Tehama,  is, 
during  summer,  a  horrible  residence,  and  but  few  days 
elapsed  before  the  surviving  travellers  and  their  servant 
were   attacked  wuth  the   fever  of  the  climate.     Bauern=' 


244  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

feind  and  the  servant,  died  at  sea.  Cramer  reached  Bom- 
bay, languished  for  some  months,  and  died.  Niebuhr  ivas 
saved  hy  that  extreme  abstemiousness  loJiich  renders  a 
tropical  climate  as  little  dangerous  to  the  Eurnpeans  as  to 
natives.  While  he  was  laboring  under  the  dysentery,  the 
physician  had  told  him  to  abstain  from  meat,  and  to  eat 
nothing  but  bread  and  a  sort  of  rice  soup.  This  regimen 
cured  his  illness.  At  the  end  of  several  weeks,  the  phy- 
sician learned  with  astonishment,  that  Niebuhr  was 
patiently  continuing  a  diet  by  means  of  which  few  Euro- 
peans could  be  induced  to  purchase  their  lives,  even  when 
laboring  under  dangerous  illness.  The  reception  which 
Niebuhr  met  with  from  the  English  at  Bombay,  was  ex- 
tremely cordial.  In  Egypt  he  had  first  learned  to  delight 
in  the  society  of  Englishmen  ;  and  there  was  laid  the 
foundation  for  that  mutual  attachment  which  ever  after 
continued  uninterrupted.  There  he  learned  the  English 
language.  He  also  made  a  copy  of  his  journal,  and  sent 
it  through  London  to  Denmark.  After  a  stay  of  fourteen 
months  he  left  Bombay,  visited  Mascat,  and  made  himself 
acquainted  with  the  state  of  the  remarkable  province  of 
Oman.  He  then  proceeded  to  Shiraz  and  Persepolis. 
The  last  night  of  his  journey  to  Persepolis  was  perfectly 
sleepless.  The  picture  of  these  ruins  remained  during 
his  whole  life  indelibly  engraven  on  his  mind.  They  ap- 
peared to  him  the  crown  and  glory  of  all  which  he  had 
seen.  He  passed  between  three  and  four  weeks  amidst 
them  in  the  desert,  in  unremitting  labor,  measuring  and 
drawing  the  fragments.  From  Shiraz  he  crossed  the 
Persian  gulf  to  Bassora.  In  Persia  he  collected  his- 
torical documents  concerning  the  fate  of  this  unfortunate 
country,  from  the  death  of  Nadir  Shah  up  to  his  own 
times.  From  Bassora  he  proceeded  through  Bagdad  and 
Mosul  to  Haleb.  He  was  now  perfectly  at  home  ;  since 
he  had   been   alone,   he  had  been  at  liberty  to  conform. 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  245 

without   molestation,  to  oriental   manners   and    customs. 
He  was  also  in  as  good  health  as  at  any  period  of  his  life. 
An  opportunity  of  going   to   Jaffa  tempted    him  to   visit 
Palestine.      After  that,    he   explored    Lesser    Asia,    and 
reached  Constantinople,  on  the  20th   of  February,    1767. 
After  having  spent  five  months  in  that  city,  he  passed  over 
Turkey  in  Europe  to  Poland,  and   in   November  reached 
Copenhagen.     He  was  received  by  the  court,  by  the  min- 
isters, and   by  the   men  of  science,  with  the  greatest  dis- 
tinction.    Bernstorf,   particularly,  loaded  him  with  marks 
of  his  esteem.     The  whole  expense  of  the  expedition  was 
but  c£3,780  sterling.      It   would   necessarily    have    been 
much   greater   had  not  Niebuhr  been  the  sole  survivor  for 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  last  four  years ;  but  although  the 
sources  of  expense  were  thus  greatly  diminished,    they 
*  were  still  more  so  by  his  scrupulous  integrity  ;  not  only  in 
avoiding  every  outlay  not  essential  to  the  object,  but  in 
paying  out  of  his  private   pocket  for  every  thing  which 
could   be   regarded  as  a  personal  expense.     He  was  now 
employed  for  some   time   in  arranging  his   materials   and 
preparing  his  journal  for  publication.     He  met  in  this  un- 
dertaking with  almost  innumerable   difficulties,   owing  to 
his  want  of  an  early  literary   education,  to  his  extreme 
modesty,  to  the  removal  of  his  patron,    Count  Bernstorf, 
and  to  the  unprovoked  hostility  of  some   of  the   literati  of 
the  country.     In    1773,    he  was  married  to  a  daughter  of 
the  physician,  Blumenberg.     They  had  two  children,    a 
daughter,  and  B.  G.  Niebuhr,  the  illustrious  author  of  the 
most  learned   and  valuable   history  of  Rome  which  has 
been  written. 

Niebuhr  soon  took  up  his  abode  at  Meldorf,  having  had 
the  office  of  secretary  of  the  district  given  to  him  by  the 
government.  A  part  of  his  time  was  employed  on  his 
farm.  He  also  found  great  satisfaction  in  the  company  of 
Boie,  the  governor  of  the  district.  Meanwhile  his  chil^ 
21* 


246  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

dren  grew  to  an  age  to  require  instruction.  This  he  gave 
them  himself.  "  He  instructed  both  of  us,"  says  his  son, 
"in  geography,  and  related  to  us  many  passages  of  history. 
He  taught  me  English  and  French ;  better,  at  any  rate, 
than  they  would  have  been  taught  by  any  one  else  in  such 
a  place  ;  and  something  of  mathematics,  in  which  he 
would  have  proceeded  much  farther,  had  not  want  of  zeal 
and  desire  in  me  unfortunately  destroyed  all  his  pleasure 
in  the  occupation.  One  thing  was  indeed  characteristic 
of  his  whole  system  of  teaching ;  as  he  had  no  idea  how 
any  one  could  have  knowledge  of  any  kind  placed  before 
him,  and  not  seize  it  with  the  greatest  delight  and  avidity, 
and  hold  to  it  with  the  steadiest  perseverance,  he  became 
disinclined  to  teach,  whenever  we  appeared  inattentive  or 
reluctant  to  learn.  As  the  first  instructions  I  received  in 
Latin  before  I  had  the  happiness  to  become  a  scholar  of 
the  learned  and  excellent  Jager,  were  very  defective  ;  he 
helped  me,  and  read  with  me  Csesar's  Commentaries. 
Here,  again,  the  peculiar  bent  of  his  mind  showed  itself; 
he  always  called  my  attention  much  more  strongly  to  the 
geography  than  to  the  history.  The  map  of  ancient  Gaul 
by  D'Anville,  for  whom  he  had  the  greatest  reverence, 
always  lay  before  us.  I  was  obliged  to  look  out  every 
place  as  it  occurred,  and  to  tell  its  exact  situation.  His 
instructions  had  no  pretension  to  be  grammatical ; — his 
knowledge  of  the  language,  so  far  as  it  went,  was  gained 
entirely  by  reading,  and  by  looking  at  it  as  a  whole.  He 
was  of  opinion  that  a  man  did  not  deserve  to  learn  what 
he  had  not  principally  worked  out  for  himself;  and  that  a 
teacher  should  be  only  a  helper  to  assist  the  pupil  out  of 
otherwise  inexplicable  difficulties.  From  these  causes  his 
attempts  to  teach  me  Arabic,  when  he  had  already  not 
that  facility  in  speaking  it  without  which  it  is  impossible 
to  dispense  with  grammatical  instruction,  to  his  disappoint- 
ment and   my  shame,  did   not  succeed.     When  I  after- 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  247 

wards  taught  it  myself,  and  sent  him  translations  from  it, 
he  was  greatly  delighted.  I  have  the  most  lively  recol- 
lections of  many  descriptions  of  the  structure  of  the  uni- 
verse, and  accounts  of  eastern  countries,  which  he  used 
to  tell  me,  instead  of  fairy  tales,  when  he  took  me  on  his 
knee  before  I  went  to  bed.  I  recollect  too,  that  on  the 
Christmas  eve  of  my  tenth  year,  by  way  of  making  the 
day  one  of  peculiar  solemnity  and  rejoicing  to  me,  he 
went  to  a  beautiful  chest,  containing  his  manuscripts, 
which  was  regarded  by  us  children,  and  indeed  by  the 
whole  household,  as  a  sort  of  ark  of  the  covenant,  took 
out  the  papers  relating  to  Africa,  and  read  to  me  from 
them.  He  had  taught  me  to  draw  maps,  and  with  his 
encouragement  and  assistance  I  soon  produced  maps  of 
Habbesh  and  Sudan.  I  could  not  make  him  a  more  wel- 
come birth-day  present,  than  a  sketch  of  the  geography  of 
eastern  countries,  or  translations  from  voyages  and  travels, 
executed  as  might  be  expected  from  a  child.  He  had 
originally  no  stronger  desire  than  that  I  might  be  his  suc- 
cessor as  a  traveller  in  the  East.  But  the  influence  of  a 
very  tender  and  anxious  mother,  upon  my  physical  training 
and  constitution,  thwarted  his  plan  almost  as  soon  as  it 
was  formed.  In  consequence  of  her  opposition,  ray  father 
afterwards  gave  up  all  thoughts  of  it." 

Niebuhr  had  the  satisfaction  to  find  that  his  merits  as 
a  traveller  were  more  and  more  appreciated.  His  works 
were  very  popular  in  England,  The  crown  prince  of 
Denmark  also  showed  him  distinguished  favor.  In  1802, 
he  was  appointed  foreign  member  of  the  French  National 
Institute.  In  his  various  labors  he  was  indefatigable.  In 
his  71st  and  72d  years,  he  toiled  through  a  great  part  of 
the  night.  Nor  did  his  indefatigable  zeal  relax  even  when 
his  eyes  began  to  fail.  The  consequences  of  this  night- 
work  were  irremediable  and  fatal.  In  a  short  time  he 
could   no  longer  see  to  read,  and  for  writing  he  required 


248  CARSTEN  NIEBUHR. 

an  extraordinary  quantity  of  light,  and  even  then  the  lines 
were  often  intermingled.  His  wife,  after  many  years 
of  suffering,  died  in  1807.  His  daughter,  and  the  wid- 
owed sister  of  his  wife,  who  had  lived  with  the  family  for 
twelve  years,  could  now  devote  themselves  wholly  to  ren- 
dering him  the  assistance  of  which  he  stood  in  so  much 
need.  Ev^ery  thing  was  read  aloud  to  him.  The  conver- 
sation of  Gloyer,  his  successor  as  secretary  of  the  district, 
revived  to  his  mind's  eye  many  a  faded  or  vanished  pic- 
ture of  the  East,  and  the  books  which  this  invaluable 
friend  read  aloud  to  him,  and  the  circumstances,  which  he 
related,  put  him  in  possession  of  the  works  and  statements 
of  more  recent  travellers.  This  was  without  comparison 
one  of  his  highest  enjoyments.  "  When  1  related  to  him," 
says  his  son,  "  the  descriptions  of  any  traveller  newly  re- 
turned from  the  East,  or  gave  him  in  my  letters  any  ac- 
counts of  travels  not  known  on  the  continent,  his  whole 
being  seemed  reanimated,  and  he  dictated  answers,  which 
showed  that  his  mental  vision  was  vivid  and  powerful  as 
ever.  It  was  still  more  remarkable  that  these  new  facts 
imprinted  themselves  on  his  mind  with  all  the  depth  and 
sharpness  with  which  objects  are  stamj>ed  on  a  youthful 
memory,  and  so  remained  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  combined  them  with  what  he  had  himself  observed  and 
experienced. 

"In  the  autumn  of  1814,"  continues  his  son,  "his 
appearance  was  calculated  to  leave  a  delightful  picture  in 
the  mind.  All  his  features,  as  well  as  his  extinguished 
eyes,  were  the  expression  of  the  extreme  and  exhausted 
old  age  of  an  extraordinarily  robust  nature  ; — it  was  impos- 
sible to  behold  a  more  venerable  sight.  So  venerable  was 
it,  that  a  Cossack  who  entered,  an  unbidden  guest,  into 
the  chamber  where  he  sat  with  his  silver  locks  uncovered, 
was  so  struck  with  it,  that  he  manifested  the  greatest  rev- 
erence for  him,  and  a  sincere  and  cordial    interest  for  the 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  049 

whole  household.  His  sweetness  of  temper  was  unaltera- 
ble, though  he  often  expressed  his  desire  to  go  to  his  final 
home,  since  all  which  he  had  desired  to  live  for  had  been 
accomplished.  A  numerous,  and  as  yet  unbroken  flimily 
circle  was  assembled  around  him,  and  every  day  in  which 
he  was  not  assailed  by  some  peculiar  indisposition,  he 
conversed  with  cheerfulness  and  cordial  enjoyment  on  the 
happy  change  which  had  taken  place  in  public  affairs. 
We  found  it  very  delightful  to  engage  him  in  continued 
recitals  of  his  travels,  which  he  now  related  with  peculiar 
fulness  and  vivacity.  In  this  manner  he  spoke  once,  and 
in  great  detail,  of  Persepolis,  and  described  the  walls  on 
which  he  had  found  the  inscriptions  and  bas-reliefs,  exactly 
as  one  would  describe  those  of  a  building  visited  within  a 
few  days  and  familiarly  known.  We  could  not  conceal 
our  astonishment.  He  replied,  that  as  he  lay  in  bed,  all 
visible  objects  shut  out,  the  pictures  of  what  he  had  be- 
held in  the  East  continually  floated  before  his  mind's  eye, 
so  that  it  was  no  wonder  he  could  speak  of  them  as  if  he 
had  seen  them  yesterday.  With  like  vividness  was  the 
deep  intense  sky  of  Asia,  \vith  its  brilliant  and  twinkling 
host  of  stars  which  he  had  so  often  gazed  at  by  night,  or 
its  lofty  vault  of  blue  by  day,  reflected,  in  the  hours  of  still- 
ness and  darkness,  on  his  inmost  soul ;  and  this  was  his 
greatest  enjoyment." 

Towards  evening,  on  the  26th  of  April,  1815,  some  one 
read  to  him  as  usual,  while  he  asked  questions  which  showed 
perfect  apprehension  and  intelligence.  He  then  sunk  into 
a  slumber  and  departed  without  a  struggle.  A  concourse 
of  people  from  all  parts  of  the  country  attended  his  body 
to  the  grave.  The  funeral  was  solemnized  with  all  the 
honors  which  respect  and  affection  can  pay.  He  had 
attained  the  age  of  eighty-two.  He  was  extremely  frugal. 
Economy  had  become  a  habit  with  him  in  early  life.  As 
a  peasant  lad   he  drank  nothing  but  water  and  milk  ;  and 


250  CARSTEN  NEEBUHR. 

at  a  latel-  period  he  deviated  from  this  simple  diet,  only  in 
compliance  with  the  custom  of  others,  with  which  he  every 
where  made  it  a  rule  to  conform,  and  he  then  drank  an 
extremely  small  quantity  of  wine.  He  had  no  favorite 
dishes  but  the  peasant  fare  of  his  native  land.  "  At  the 
highest  point  of  elevation,"  says  his  biographer, ''  to  which 
he  attained,  favored  by  his  prince,  respected  and  admired 
by  the  learned  and  eminent  of  all  countries,  it  was  his 
pride  that  he  was  born  a  peasant  of  Free  Friesland.  His 
manners  never  lost  the  simplicity,  nor  his  morals  the  purity 
of  that  singular  and  estimable  class  of  men.  If  ever  there 
lived  a  man  who  might  safely  and  reasonably  be  held  up 
to  the  people  as  an  object  of  imitation,  it  was  Carsten 
Niebuhr.  Not  only  was  he  a  poor  man, — an  orphan, — 
born  in  a  remote  part  of  a  remote  province,  far  from  all 
those  facilities  for  acquiring  knowledge,  which  in  this  age 
and  country  are  poured  out  before  the  feet  of  the  people  ; 
he  was  not  even  gifted  in  any  extraordinary  way  by  nature. 
He  was  in  no  sense  of  the  word  a  genii(s.  He  had  no 
imagination.  His  power  of  acquiring  does  not  seem  to 
have  been  extraordinarily  rapid,  nor  his  memory  singularly 
retentive.  In  all  cases  where  the  force  of  that  will,  at 
once  steady  and  ardent,  which  enabled  him  to  master  his 
favorite  studies,  was  not  brought  to  bear,  his  progress  was 
slow  and  inconsiderable.  It  is  not  therefore  in  any  sup- 
posed intellectual  advantages  that  we  must  look  for  the 
causes  of  his  rise  to  eminence.  They  are  to  be  found 
rather  in  the  moral  qualities  which  distinguished  him, 
qualities  attainable  in  a  greater  or  less  degree  by  men  of 
the  humblest  rank,  of  the  most  lowly  intellect,  the  least 
favored  by  situation  or  connection.  He  possessed,  in  an 
eminent  degree,  the  distinguishing  virtues  of  his  country, 
sincerity,  unadulterated  and  fiiithful  love  of  truth,  and 
honesty.  The  zeal  with  which  he  gave  himself  to  a  pur- 
suit which  might  enable   him  to  be  useful   to  his  native 


CARSTEN  NIEBUHR.  251 

district ;  the  total  absence  of  vanity  which  characterized 
the  whole  course  of  his  studies  and  of  his  journeyings  ; — 
the  simplicity  of  his  narrative,  in  which  no  more  of  him- 
self and  his  individual  feelings  appears  than  is  just  neces- 
sary to  keep  up  the  thread  of  the  story ; — the  rigorous 
accuracy  and  anxiety  after  truth  for  which  his  travels  have 
ever  been  and  still  remain  pre-eminently  distinguished 
among  all  who  proceeded,  and  all  who  have  followed  him 
on  the  same  ground,  afford  ample  evidence  of  the  single- 
ness and  the  steadiness  of  the  motives  which  actuated 
him.  The  punctilious  honor  which  marked  his  disburse- 
ment of  the  funds  intrusted  to  his  care  by  the  Danish 
government ; — the  exactness  with  which  he  abstained 
from  applying  a  farthing  of  this  money  to  any  object  which 
could  be  considered  by  others,  or  which  his  own  more 
fastidious  delicacy  could  regard,  as  a  personal  grati- 
fication. 

'*  His  self-command  was  perfect.  He  could  abstain  from 
what  was  agreeable,  and  do  what  was  disagreeable  to  him. 
He  was  conscientious,  sober,  temperate  even  to  abstemious- 
ness, laborious  and  persevering ;  neither  discouraged  nor 
elated  by  the  incidents  which  he  must  have  known  were 
inseparable  from  the  career  which  he  had  chosen." 


JAMES  FERGUSON. 


James  Ferguson  was  born  in  the  year  1710,  a  few 
miles  from  the  village  of  Keith,  in  Banffshire,  Scotland. 
His  parents,  as  he  informs  us,  were  in  the  humblest  con- 
dition of  life,  (his  father  being  merely  a  day-laborer,) 
honest  and  religious.  It  was  his  father's  practice  to  teach 
his  children  himself  to  read  and  write,  as  they  succes- 
sively reached  what  he  deemed  the  proper  age  ;  but  James 
was  too  impatient  to  wait  till  his  regular  turn  came. 
While  his  father  was  teaching  one  of  his  elder  brothers, 
James  was  secretly  occupied  in  listening  to  what  was 
going  on  ;  and,  as  soon  as  he  was  left  alone,  used  to  get 
hold  of  the  book  and  labor  diligently  in  endeavoring  to 
master  the  lesson  which  he  had  thus  gone  over.  Being 
ashamed,  as  he  says,  to  let  his  father  know  in  what  man- 
ner he  was  engaged,  he  was  accustomed  to  apply  to  an 
old  woman,  who  lived  in  a  neighboring  cottage,  to  solve 
his  difficulties.  In  this  way  he  actually  learned  to  read 
tolerably  well  before  his  father  had  any  suspicion  that  he 
knew  his  letters.  His  "father,  at  last,  very  much  to  his 
surprise,  detected  him,  one  day,  reading  by  himself,  and 
thus  discovered  his  secret.  When  he  was  about  seven  or 
eight  years  of  age,  a  simple  incident  occurred,  which 
seems  to  have  given  his  mind  its  first  bias  to  what  became 
afterwards  its  favorite  kind  of  pursuit.     The  roof  of  the 


JAMES  FERGUSON.  253 

cottage  having  partly  fallen  in,  his  father,  in  order  to  raise 
it  again,  applied  a  beam  to  it,  resting  on  a  prop  in  the 
manner  of  a  lever,  and  was  thus  enabled,  with  compara- 
tive ease,  to  produce  what  seemed  to  his  son  quite  a  stu- 
pendous effect.  This  circumstance  set  our  young  philoso- 
pher thinking ;  and  after  a  while  it  occurred  to  him  that 
his  father,  in  using  the  beam,  had  applied  his  strength  to 
its  extremity,  and  this,  he  immediately  concluded,  was  an 
important  circumstance  in  the  matter.  He  proceeded  to 
verify  his  notion  by  experiment ;  and  having  made  several 
levers  which  he  called  bars,  soon  not  only  found  that  he 
was  right  in  his  conjecture,  as  to  the  importance  of  apply- 
ing the  moving  force  at  the  point  most  distant  from  the 
fulcrum,  but  discovered  the  rule  or  law  of  the  machine, 
namely,  that  the  effect  of  any  form  or  weight  made  to  bear 
upon  it,  is  always  exactly  proportioned  to  the  distance  of 
the  point  on  which  it  rests  from  the  fulcrum.  "  I  then," 
says  he,  "  thought  that  it  was  a  great  pity,  that  by  means 
of  this  bar,  a  weight  could  be  raised  but  a  very  little  way. 
On  this,  I  soon  imagined  that  by  pulling  round  a  wheel, 
the  weight  might  be  raised  to  any  height,  by  tying  a  rope 
to  the  weight,  and  winding  a  rope  round  the  axle  of  the 
wheel ;  and  that  the  power  gained  must  be  just  as  great 
as  the  wheel  was  broader  than  the  axle  was  thick ;  and 
found  it  to  be  exactly  so,  by  hanging  one  weight  to  a 
rope  put  round  the  wheel,  and  another  to  the  rope  that 
coiled  round  the  axle."  The  child  had  thus,  it  will  be 
observed,  actually  discovered  two  of  the  most  important 
elementary  truths  in  mechanics — the  lever,  and  the  wheel 
and  axle  ;  he  afterwards  hit  upon  others  ;  and,  all  the 
while,  he  had  not  only  possessed  neither  book  nor  teacher 
to  assist  him,  but  was  without  any  other  tools  than  a  sim- 
ple turning  lathe  of  his  father's,  and  a  little  knife  where- 
with to  fashion  his  blocks  and  wheels,  and  the  other  con- 
22 


254  JAMES  FERGUSON. 

trivances  which  he  needed  for  his  experiments.  After 
having  made  liis  discoveries,  however,  he  next,  he  tells  us, 
proceeded  to  write  an  account  of  them  ;  thinking  his  little 
work,  which  contained  sketches  of  the  different  machines 
drawn  with  a  pen,  to  be  the  first  treatise  ever  composed  of 
the  sort.  When,  some  time  after,  a  gentleman  showed 
him  the  whole  in  a  printed  book,  although  he  found  that 
he  had  been  anticipated  in  his  inventions,  he  was  much 
pleased,  as  he  was  w'ell  entitled  to  be,  on  thus  perceiving 
that  his  unaided  genius  had  already  carried  him  so  far 
into  what  was  acknowledged  to  be  the  region  of  true  phi- 
losophy. Ferguson  was  employed  in  some  of  his  early 
years  as  a  keeper  of  sheep,  in  the  employment  of  a  small 
farmer  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  native  place.  He  was 
sent  to  this  occupation,  he  tells  us,  as  being  of  a  weak 
body  ;  and  while  his  flock  was  feeding  around  him,  he 
used  to  busy  himself  in  making  models  of  mills,  spinning 
wheels,  &/C.  during  the  day,  and  in  studying  the  stars  at 
night,  like  his  predecessors  of  Chaldea.  When  a  little 
older,  he  went  into  the  service  of  another  farmer,  a  respec- 
table man  called  James  Glashan,  whose  name  well  de- 
serves to  be  remembered.  After  the  labors  of  the  day, 
young  Ferguson  used  to  go  at  night  to  the  fields,  with  a 
blanket  about  him  and  a  lighted  candle,  and  there,  laying 
himself  down  on  his  back;  pursued  for  long  hours,  his 
observations  on  the  heavenly  bodies.  "  I  used  to  stretch," 
says  he,  "  a  thread  with  small  beads  on  it,  at  arms-length, 
between  my  eye  and  the  stars ;  sliding  the  beads  upon  it, 
till  they  hid  such  and  such  stars  from  my  eye,  in  order  to 
take  their  apparent  distances  from  one  another ;  and  then 
laying  a  thread  down  on  the  paper,  I  marked  the  stars 
thereon  by  the  beads.  My  master  at  first  laughed  at  me  ; 
but  when  I  explained  my  meaning  to  him,  he  encouraged 
me  to  go  on ;  and,  that  I  might  make   fair  copies  in  the 


JAMES  FERGUSON.  255 

day  time  of  what  I  had  done  in  the  night,  he  often  worked 
for  me  himself.  1  shall  always  have  a  respect  for  the 
memory  of  that  man." 

Having  been  employed  by  his  master  to  carry  a  message 
to  Mr.  Gilchrist,  the  minister  of  Keith,  he  took  with  him 
the  drawings  he  had  been  making,  and  showed  them  to 
that  gentleman.  Mr.  Gilchrist  upon  this  put  a  map  into 
his  hands,  and  having  supplied  him  with  compasses,  ruler, 
pens,  ink,  and  paper,  desired  him  to  take  it  home  with 
him,  and  bring  back  a  copy  of  it.  "  For  this  pleasant 
employment,"  says  he,  "  my  master  gave  me  more  time 
than  I  could  reasonably  expect ;  and  often  took  the  thresh- 
ing flail  out  of  my  hands,  and  worked  himself,  while  I  sat 
by  him  in  the  barn,  busy  with  my  compasses,  ruler,  and 
pen."  Having  finished  his  map,  Ferguson  carried  it  to 
Mr.  Gilchrist's,  and  there  he  met  Mr.  Grant,  of  Achoy- 
namey,  who  offered  to  take  him  into  his  house,  and  make 
his  butler  give  him  lessons.  **  I  told  Squire  Grant,"  says 
he,  "  that  I  should  rejoice  to  be  at  his  house,  as  soon  as 
the  time  was  expired  for  which  I  was  engaged  with  my 
present  master.  He  very  politely  offered  to  put  one  in  my 
place,  but  this  I  declined."  When  the  period  in  question 
arrived,  accordingly  he  went  to  Mr.  Grant's,  being  now  in 
his  twentieth  year.  Here  he  found  both  a  good  friend 
and  a  very  extraordinary  man,  in  Cantley  the  butler,  who 
had  first  fixed  his  attention,  by  a  sun  dial,  which  he  hap- 
pened to  be  engaged  in  painting,  on  the  village  school 
house,  as  Ferguson  was  passing  along  the  road,  on  his 
second  visit  to  Mr.  Gilchrist.  Dialling,  however,  was  only 
one  of  the  many  accomplishments  of  this  learned  butler, 
who,  Ferguson  assures  us,  was  profoundly  conversant  both 
with  arithmetic  and  mathematics,  played  on  every  known 
musical  instrument  except  the  harp,  understood  Latin, 
French,  and  Greek,  and  could  also  prescribe  for  diseases. 
These  multifarious  attainments  he  owed  entirely  to  him- 


256  JAMES  FERGUSON. 

self,  and  to  the  God  of  nature.  From  this  person  Fer- 
guson received  instructions  in  decimal  fractions  and 
algebra,  having  already  made  himself  master  of  vulgar 
arithmetic,  by  the  assistance  of  books.  Just  as  he  was 
about,  however,  to  begin  geometry,  Cantley  left  his  place 
for  another  in  the  establishment  of  the  Earl  of  Fife,  and 
his  pupil  thereupon  determined  to  return  home  to  his  father. 
Cantley,  on  parting  with  him,  had  made  him  a  present 
of  a  copy  of  Gordon's  Geographical  Grammar.  The  book 
contains  a  description  of  an  artificial  globe,  which  is  not, 
however,  illustrated  by  any  figure.  Nevertheless,  "  from 
this  description,"  says  Ferguson,  "  I  made  a  globe  in 
three  weeks  at  my  father's  house,  having  turned  the  ball 
thereof  out  of  a  piece  of  wood  ;  which  ball  I  covered  with 
paper,  and  delineated  a  map  of  the  world  upon  it ;  made 
the  meridian  ring  and  horizon  of  wood,  covered  them  with 
paper,  and  graduated  them ;  and  was  happy  to  find  that 
by  my  globe,  which  was  the  first  I  ever  saw,  I  could  solve 
the  problems." 

For  some  time  after  this,  he  was  very  unfortunate. 
Finding  that  it  would  not  do  to  remain  idle  at  home,  he 
engaged  in  the  service  of  a  miller  in  the  neighborhood, 
who,  feeling,  probably,  that  he  could  trust  to  the  honesty 
and  capacity  of  his  servant,  soon  began  to  spend  all  his 
own  time  in  the  ale-house,  and  to  leave  poor  Ferguson  at 
home,  not  only  with  every  thing  to  do,  but  with  very  fre- 
quently nothing  to  eat.  A  little  oat-meal,  mixed  with 
cold  water,  was  often,  he  tells  us,  all  he  was  allowed. 
Yet  in  this  situation  he  remained  a  year,  and  then  re- 
turned to  his  father's  house,  very  much  weaker  for  his 
want  of  food.  His  next  master  was  a  Dr.  Young,  who 
having  induced  him  to  enter  his  service  by  a  promise  to 
instruct  him  in  medicine,  not  only  broke  his  engagement 
as  to  this  point,  but  used  him  in  other  respects  so  tyran- 
nically, that,  although  engaged  for  half  a  year,  he  found  he 


JAMES  FERGUSON.  257 

could  not  remain  beyond  the  first  quarter,  at  the  expira- 
tion of  which,  accordingly,  he  came  away  without  receiv- 
ing any  wages,  having  "  wrought  for  the  last  fortnight," 
says  he,  "  as  much  as  possible,  with  one  hand,  and  even 
when  1  could  not  lift  the  other  from  my  side."  This  was 
in  consequence  of  a  severe  hurt  he  had  received,  to  which 
the  doctor  was  too  busy  to  attend,  and  by  which  he  was 
confined  to  his  bed  two  months  after  his  return  home.  Re- 
duced as  he  was,  however,  by  exhaustion  and  actual  pain, 
he  could  not  be  idle.  "  In  order,"  says  he,  "  to  amuse 
myself  in  this  low  state,  I  made  a  wooden  clock,  the  frame 
of  which  was  also  of  wood,  and  it  kept  time  pretty  well. 
The  bell  on  which  the  hammer  struck  the  hours,  was  the 
neck  of  a  broken  bottle."  A  short  time  after  this,  when 
he  had  recovered  his  health,  he  gave  a  still  more  extraor- 
dinary proof  of  his  ingenuity,  and  the  fertility  of  his  re- 
sources for  mechanical  invention,  by  actually  constructing 
a  time-piece,  or  watch,  moved  by  a  spring.  "  Having 
then,"  he  remarks,  "  no  idea  how  any  time-piece  could  go 
but  by  a  weight  and  a  line,  I  wondered  how  aVatch  copld 
go  in  all  positions ;  and  was  sorry  that  I  never  thought  of 
asking  Mr.  Cantley,  who  could  have  very  easily  informed 
me.  But  happening  one  day  to  see  a  gentleman  ride  by 
my  father's  house,  (which  was  close  by  a  public  road,)  I 
asked  him  what  o'clock  it  then  was  ?  He  looked  at  his 
watch  and  told  me.  As  he  did  that  with  so  much  good 
nature,  I  begged  of  him  to  show  me  the  inside  of  the 
watch  ;  and  though  he  was  an  entire  stranger,  he  imme- 
diately opened  the  watch,  and  put  it  into  my  hands.  I 
saw  the  spring  box,  with  part  of  the  chain  round  it ;  and 
asked  him  what  it  was  that  made  the  box  turn  round  ? 
He  told  me  that  it  was  turned  round  by  a  steel-spring 
within  it.  Having  then  never  seen  any  other  spring  than 
that  of  my  father's  gun-locks,  I  asked  how  a  spring  within 
a  box,  could  turn  the  box  so  often  round  as  to  wind  all 


258  JAMES  FERGUSON. 

the  chain  upon  it?  He  answered  that  the  spring  was  long 
and  thin ;  that  one  end  of  it  was  fastened  to  the  axis  of 
the  box,  and  the  other  end  to  the  inside  of  the  box  ;  that 
the  axis  was  fixed,  and  the  box  was  loose  upon  it.  I  told 
him  that  I  did  not  yet  thoroughly  understand  the  matter. 
'  Well  my  lad,'  says  he,  '  take  a  long,  thin  piece  of 
whale-bone ;  hold  one  end  of  it  fast  between  your  finger 
and  thumb,  and  wind  it  round  your  finger;  it  will  then 
endeavor  to  unwind  itself;  and  if  you  fix  the  other  end  of 
it  to  the  inside  of  a  small  hoop,  and  leave  it  to  itself,  it  will 
turn  the  hoop  round  and  round,  and  wind  up  a  thread  tied 
to  the  outside  of  the  hoop.'  J  thanked  the  gentleman,  and 
told  him  that  I  understood  the  thing  very  w^ell.  I  then 
tried  to  make  a  watch  with  wooden  wheels,  and  made  the 
spring  of  whalebone  ;  but  found  that  I  could  not  make 
the  wheel  go  when  the  balance  was  put  on  ;  because  the 
teeth  of  the  wheels  w^ere  rather  too  weak  to  bear  the  force 
of  a  spring  sufficient  to  move  the  balance  ;  although  the 
wheels  would  run  fast  enough  when  the  balance  was  taken 
off.  I  enclosed  the  whole  in  a  wooden  case,  very  little 
larger  than  a  breakfast  tea  cup ;  but  a  clumsy  neighbor 
one  day  looking  at  my  watch,  happened  to  let  it  fall,  and 
turning  hastily  about  to  pick  it  up,  set  his  foot  upon  it, 
and  crushed  it  all  to  pieces  ;  which  so  provoked  my  father, 
that  he  was  almost  ready  to  beat  the  man,  and  discouraged 
me  so  much,  that  I  never  attempted  to  make  another  such 
machine  again,  especially  as  I  was  thoroughly  convinced 
I  could  never  make  one  that  would  be  of  any  real  use." 

"  What  a  vivid  picture  is  this,"  says  his  biographer, 
in  the  Library  of  Entertaining  Knowledge,  *'  of  an  inge- 
nious mind  thirsting  for  knowledge  !  and  who  is  there, 
too,  that  does  not  envy  the  pleasure  that  must  have  been 
felt  by  the  courteous  and  intelligent  stranger  by  whom  the 
young  mechanician  was  carried  over  his  first  great  diffi- 
culty, if  he  had  ever  chanced  to  learn   how  greatly   his 


JAMES  FERGUSON.  059 

unknown  questioner  had  profited  from  their  brief  inter- 
view !  That  stranger  might  probably  have  read  the  above 
narrative,  as  given  to  the  world  by  Ferguson,  after  the 
talents,  which  this  little  incident  probably  contributed  to 
develope,  had  raised  him  from  his  obscurity  to  a  distin- 
guished place  among  the  philosphers  of  his  age;  and  if  he 
did  not  know  this,  he  must  have  felt  that  encouragement 
in  well  doing  which  a  benevolent  man  may  alvv'ays  gather, 
either  from  the  positive  effects  of  acts  of  kindness  upon 
others,  or  their  influence  upon  his  own  heart.  Civility, 
charity,  generosity,  may  sometimes  meet  an  ill  return, 
but  one  person  must  be  benefitted  by  their  exercise  ;  the 
kind  heart  has  its  own  abundant  reward,  whatever  be  the 
gratitude  or  ingratitude  of  others.  The  case  of  Ferguson 
shows  that  the  seed  does  not  always  fall  on  an  unkindly 
soil." 

Ferguson  lived  for  many  years  in  Edinburgh,  engaged 
in  drawing  pictures,  and  in  various  astronomical  pursuits. 
Among  other  things,  he  discovered  by  himself  the  cause 
of  eclipses,  and  drew  up  a  scheme  for  showing  the  motions 
and  places  of  the  sun  and  moon  in  the  ecliptic  on  each  day 
of  the  year,  perpetually.  He  also  made  an  orrery,  with- 
out ever  having  seen  the  internal  construction  of  any  one. 
In  the  course  of  his  life  he  made  eight  orreries,  the  last 
six  of  which  were  all  unlike  each  other.  Having  written 
a  proof  of  a  new  astronomical  truth  which  had  occurred 
to  him,  namely,  that  the  moon  must  move  always  in  a 
path  concave  to  the  sun,  he  showed  his  proposition  and 
its  demonstration  to  Mr.  Folkes,  the  president  of  the 
Royal  Society  of  London,  who  thereupon  took  him  the 
same  evening  to  the  meeting  of  that  learned  body.  This 
had  the  effect  of  bringing  him  immediately  into  notice. 
He  soon  after  published  his  first  work,  *  A  Dissertation  on 
the  Phenomena  of  the  Harvest  Moon,'  with  the  descrip- 
tion of  a  new  orrery,  having  four  wheels.    It  was  followed 


312  JAMES  FERGUSON. 

by  various  other  publications,  most  of  which  became  very 
popular.  In  1748,  he  began  to  give  public  lectures. 
Among  his  occasional  auditors  was  George  III.,  then  a 
boy.  In  1763,  he  was  elected  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal 
Society,  the  usual  fees  being  remitted,  as  had  been  done  in 
the  cases  of  Newton  and  Thomas  Simpson.  He  died  in 
1776,  having  acquired  a  distinguished  reputation  both  at 
home  and  abroad. 


I 


-^^        .:.;«« 


